Chapter Text
Later, when the day bled into the next, Alec would wonder how he went from having one of the best days of his life, to one of the worst. The morning spent with Clary and Isabelle playing ‘Dress-Up, Alec’ had been mildly enjoyable. After all the stress they’d been under since Jace had left, it was good to see them both smiling. Breakfast with Magnus would be on the highlight reel of his life. He’d never again be able to taste strawberry jam without associating it with the dashing warlock.
After leaving the breakfast nook, they took a walk through the large park a few blocks away. They found a secluded section, and hid themselves away with the leaves of the willow tree. Sitting side by side on a blanket Magnus had conjured, they enjoyed the cool shade. Magnus told him humorous anecdotes of magic gone slightly wrong; ‘I mean, really, could I be blamed for that man being turned into a warthog? No. Well… okay, a little, but he looked like one in the first place so… it wasn’t that drastic.’ In turn, Alec told stories about himself and his siblings when they were younger; ‘Mom wanted us to study runes… she just didn’t expect them to be done in crayon on the walls.’
Magnus popped the rest of the chocolate covered strawberry in his mouth, and Alec watched as the warlock licked melted chocolate from his thumb. “How decadent,” Magnus said, missing a bit of chocolate off his lip.
Alec felt strong, and sure with Magnus. Ever since the wedding incident, he tried to be a truer version of himself. He would never be as bold, nor as confident as Magnus, but he’d come a long way in a short amount of time. With the leaves of the tree hiding them from the outside view, he threw caution to the side, and leaned over to give in to the desire to kiss that chocolate from Magnus’s lips.
The warlock moaned, threaded his fingers through Alec’s hair, pulling the Shadowhunter closer. After so many years of repressing his feelings, kissing Magnus felt liberating. Alec’s fingers curled in the fabric of his date’s shirt, needing to keep him close. The kisses, slow and sweet, were sledgehammers striking the walls Alec had put up.
Of course, the standard ringtone and vibration in his pocket broke it up. It also happened to be the end of ‘best day ever,’ and began the day of ‘this is awful.’
Alec pulled back, his head tucked down, suddenly terribly nervous. He glanced up under dark lashes. “Sorry,” he whispered.
Magnus appeared under a spell, eyes on Alec’s lips for a second too long before he appeared to snap out of it. “I know you have to answer that, it’s okay.”
While he pulled the phone from the pocket of his jeans, Alec dreaded answering it. More so when he saw the caller ID. Swallowing hard, he answered. “Hello, Mom.” He listened as she ordered him to return to the Institute. With haste. He sat up a little straighter, eyes darting over to Magnus, who in turn was watching Alec. It wasn’t the words, nor the order that drew Alec’s attention, there was something in his mother’s voice. “What’s wrong? What aren’t you telling me?” Instead of telling him, she repeated her order. “I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
Ending the call, Alec stood, and extended his hand out to Magnus, helping the warlock back to his feet. “I have to go.”
Magnus frowned. “I figured. Any clue as to why?”
“Something’s happened. Mom sounded upset. And this is the first she’s talked to me in a while, so…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I need to catch a cab.”
The warlock sighed, and shook his head. “During noon-hour traffic?” With a flair of gestures, a portal was created, and stood waiting. “Do be careful, Alexander.”
“I always am,” Alec promised. “My siblings are the reckless ones, remember? And thank you, for today.”
The smile Magus gave was soft and warm. “It was my utmost pleasure, and I thank you for the company. I do hope we’ll do this again soon.”
Alec smiled widely, and ducked his head trying not to look too enthused. “Yes. I’d… I’d like that.”
“You know, portals are rather draining,” Magnus said.
“Right. Sorry, leaving.” He only made it one step before Magnus’s hand grabbed his bicep. “What?”
“I know you’re likely to be very busy with whatever Maryse called you about, but if you get the chance, a text might be nice. Just so I know you’re okay.”
The concern touched Alec. “I’ll try, might be a while.”
“Immortality teaches patience,” Magnus replied, and made shooing hands. “Now go forth and be a hero.”
Alec grinned, and walked through the portal backward so he would be able to look at Magnus until the last possible moment.
On the other side of the portal, Alec stood still for a second, willing his stomach back under control. He never much liked travelling by portal, even if it was the quickest way to travel. A few deep breaths and he looked around. The portal had been set up along a wall in a back corridor, close to Alec’s bedroom. Figuring his mother would be in her office, he headed that way.
He had to pass the main work stations of the institute, but there were only a handful of Shadowhunters there, and three of them were gearing up. He hurried along, jogging through the halls, stopping at the door and knocking respectively.
“Enter,” his mother’s voice replied.
Alec pushed open the door. His parents stood along with Isabelle, Clary, and Lydia. “Where did everyone go? What is going on?” He asked shocked, and confused. “I go out for one morning, and everything goes to hell? Why didn’t anyone call me earlier?”
Maryse held up a hand to stop the questions. “We didn’t call earlier, because we didn’t need to. Early this morning, a few demons were spotted. We responded by sending out more Shadowhunters to the surrounding area, to ensure they were all dead. Instead, we found more to the east. And another pocket to the south was then reported.” She shook her head. “We had it under control.”
“And now?” Alec asked.
“Sensors are picking up demonic activity all through the city,” Isabelle said. “The Clave has been contacted. The Northern Institute in Toronto will have more Shadowhunters here by nightfall.”
He understood. Until then, they’d fight. Probably after that, they’d still be fighting. “Why all the demonic activity?” Alec wondered out loud. “Why now?”
“Who knows,” Robert said. “But we need to handle it before it gets completely out of hand and mundanes start getting killed.”
Alec nodded. “I’ll get geared up.”
***
Alec, Isabelle, and Clary worked well as a team. Still, Alec felt out of sorts. His bow didn’t feel quite right in his hand. He worried about Clary, and kept back from the fight to better assess the situation, and put the arrows where they were needed. Isabelle’s whip did serious damage to the demon, and she followed it up with a stab of her seraph blade, dual wielding the weapons with profound grace. Clary had far less finesse, but clearly remembered a few of the lessons she’d been given. Alec let three arrows fly in quick succession ending the demon that would have rushed her from behind. Clary finally got the best of the demon she’d been fighting head on, and he could practically see her shoulders drop in relief. “Keep your weapons up,” Alec ordered, his voice booming in the abandoned warehouse. Clary’s arm shot back up, and she twirled around, looking for another enemy.
Instead there were none, and she looked over at Alec. They’d spent two hours fighting, first down by the waterfront, then in a park, now here. She puffed out a breath. “I need to be in better shape.”
Isabelle’s whip wrapped back around her wrist. “I’d kill for some water right about now.”
“There is a convenience store around the corner,” Alec said. “I’ll call Mom on the way.”
They all got rehydrated as Alec talked on the phone, getting the location of the next demons that needed executing. He hung up, and turned to his sister, and Clary. “We’ve got another mission.”
Clary’s frowned, trying to straighten out her shoulders. “Alright. Let’s do it.”
“Give me your arm,” Alec said, pulling his stele out. “You’re going to need a stamina rune.”
“I’m okay, really.”
“No you’re not,” Alec said gently. “Your reaction time kept getting slower in the last fight.”
“I can keep up with you and Izzy,” Clary argued.
“No, you can’t. And that’s okay,” Isabelle said, placing her hand on Clary’s shoulder. “You haven’t trained your entire life for this. Alec isn’t saying this to be mean. He’s saying it so you have the energy to keep yourself, and us, safe.”
Clary’s shoulders fell. “I read that the stamina rune doesn’t last more than a few hours, I should hold out longer. Who knows when this will be over?”
“It won’t matter if you’re dead,” Alec said. “If you get too tired, I’ll send you back to the institute.”
“But-“
“No buts,” Alec said firmly. “No Shadowhunter keeps fighting if they’re risking their team. Understood? That goes for all of us.”
Clary sighed, but nodded. She held out her left arm, and turned it over, giving him a long section of pale skin to work with.
“While you’re at it, she should have a deflect rune too,” Isabelle said, chugging down the rest of her water.
***
Three more fights, and night had descended upon Brooklyn. Poor lighting made fights more difficult, especially for Alec, who had more skill as a distance fighter. As they took on a group of shapeshifting demons, Alec switched out his bow for a seraph blade, cursing the blade for it’s glow which called to the demons in the darkness. So much for stealth.
He had already activated his own stamina rune, and the fresh wave of energy gave him the strength needed to go on the attack. He heard Clary cry out, and he forced himself to keep a clear head, knocking the demon back, and sending it back to Hell with his blade. He turned to see two Clary’s, neither with a blade in hand, both backing away from the other with mirrored horror.
“Alec!” The one cried out.
“Alec! Kill it,” The other Clary shouted.
“No!” Clary said, putting her hands up. “I’m Clary.”
“I’m Clary,” the other said.
Alec looked at them both, and turned to Isabelle, hoping she’d seen which one was real, but she was still battling her own demon. “Damn it.” He pulled out his bow, notched and arrow, and ended the demon Isabelle fought. He notched another and pointed it at the two women who wore the same face.
“Damn it,” Isabelle said, taking in the situation.
“Who were you engaged to at eight years old?” Alec asked.
The one Clary looked confused.
The other smiled. “Simon.”
Alec’s response was immediate, launching the arrow at the imposter. The demon burned, folding in on itself. He let out a breath of relief. “You okay?”
Clary laughed. “I can’t believe you remember me and Simon telling you about that.”
He shrugged, and was about to pull out his phone when Isabelle fell to one knee. “Izzy!” He was at her side in a second, one hand on her shoulder, the other on her ribs, trying to keep her from falling over. Horror hit him as the wet warmth of blood covered his hand on her ribs.
“I can’t believe that thing actually got a piece of me,” she said bitterly. “Iratze me, brother.”
He already had his stele in hand before she’d given him the order. Taking a deep breath he steadied his hand. Healing runes worked better the closer to the heart they were drawn, so he pushed the lapel of Isabelle’s buttoned shirt aside, and started drawing the Iratze rune.
Her breath hissed as she drew it in through her teeth, bearing down against the pain. Completed, it disappeared, but with his left hand still on the wound, he pressed and felt fresh blood roll over his fingers. “Lay down. It didn’t work, Iz.”
“Demonic metal?” Isabelle fell forward, and Alec caught his sister in his hands, dropping his stele in the process. “I don’t… I don’t feel so good.”
“You’re going to be okay,” he said, voice full of command. He threw his phone at Clary. “Call our mother. Tell her what’s happened.” He gently laid his sister down. The whimpering sound that escaped his sister’s lips made him bite down on his tongue, forcing himself to keep it together. “You’ll be just fine, Iz. I’ve got you.” The blood loss was currently the biggest issue. He drew the amissio rune, which held, and slowed the blood loss even as it jump started blood replacement. “We need to get her back to the Institute,” he said to Clary the moment she was off the phone. “Call Simon.”
Clary nodded, and although the vampire’s number wasn’t in his phone, she dialled it in with familiarity. “Simon,” he heard her say. “I’m going to text you an address. Come immediately. It’s Isabelle.”