Alec's wish to know more about Will comes true thanks to Max.

"It's bugging me."

Alec tried his hardest not to burst out laughing at his youngster's serious statement. "You'll get over it," he said quietly, focused on applying runes on his arms. He was ready to head out with Jace; if only Magnus decided to return from his client on time.

Max huffed annoyed. "Don't tell me you don't have a deep dark secret you wish to know all about it," Max muttered. He looked absolutely adorable with his arms folded across his chest, a little frown creasing his sweet, young face.

"Oh, there are many things I wished I knew, but that doesn't mean I'll interfere with the course of nature to find them out." Alec was sure that Magnus's idea of telling Max about how they had adopted him when he was a baby, was a terrible idea. He'd been on the case to find out what monster abandoned him ever since he found out. He was only five years old, and he'd learned a thing or two from Magnus. Alec was thankful that Max's magic wasn't that strong yet.

"Like what? What would you like to know, Daddy?" Max asked curiously.

Alec stared at his son, pausing in drawing the Speed Rune. Max was on the floor, playing with his colored blocks. He didn't notice anything out of place. Despite having looked through the notebook Magnus had given him on his early life, Alec couldn't help but wish he knew more. Especially, about a particular someone who kept springing in discussion at the oddest times over the years – Will. Even Jem and Tessa mentioned him, not only Camille and Catarina.

"Daddy?" Max walked closer to the couch, taking Alec's hand.

"Well, there might be something I'd like to know about papa's past, but it's all a silly wish of mine." Alec stroked Max's cheek. "I'm secure in our love." He leaned down to kiss the blue forehead, smiling. "Now, let me finish here, or Uncle Jace will kill all the demons, and I'll be pretty much useless."

"Come play with me a little," Max begged. "Rafe is sleeping, so he's no fun."

"Which you should be doing too. I don't get this aversion to naps." Alec finished the Speed Rune, and worked quickly on the rune to conceal him from mundanes. "Okay, make it fast." Alec joined Max on the floor, but was guided in the middle of a circle made of colored blocks.

"Now sit there, and I'll show you something I learned from Papa," Max said proudly.

"No magic, Max." Alec was scared for his life when Max did magic. At his fragile age, he'd managed to vanish Chairmain Meow when the cat upset him. It took them hours to find him and a call from a distressed Isabelle, asking why Chairman was at the Institute, hiding under a bookcase in the library. They'd rushed there, and only Magnus's soothing words and love for the cat, made him come out from his hiding spot. For days that followed, the cat avoided Max at all costs.

"Max!"Alec shouted, at the same time as Magnus, who'd appeared in the doorway. But it was too late.

The last thing Alec saw was the purplish sparks leaving his sons hands aimed at him.

oOo

He fell in a heap in the corner of a room.

It was semi-darkness, night settling outside from what he could see through a window. The room was decorated with expensive-looking, vintage furniture.

Alec was about to explore to unknown place, curious of what his son had done, when the door opened. He sighed with relief when he saw Magnus walking fast and mumbling. He made a step to him when he noticed himself trudging after him, apparently hurt and bleeding.

Though, he wasn't as tall and his clothes looked ripped from the eighteenth century.

"You can't turn up here every time something goes wrong!" Magnus groaned, exasperated.

"Says who?" Alec heard the boy who looked like him ask stubbornly.

"I'm sure there's someone at the Institute who can help you. All you need is an Iratze and a good night's sleep."

The boy flung himself on an armchair defiantly. "A demon attacked me. I might not be here if you weren't there to save me."

"Because you do a lot of foolish things when you're on your own, Will. Why did you go out alone again?"

Alec gasped, his hands covering his mouth. Will. The boy bleeding on the red armchair was Will. Magnus's Will—the one who everyone talked about.

To his surprise, neither turned to him when he made the noise.

"You very well know I can't be there when he's not well," Will mumbled. "Something in me dies every moment he's in pain."

"Oh, and I'm your bound guy? Beautiful. Unrequited love and dying parabatai brings you in my arms?" Magnus challenged.

Alec hadn't heard Magnus speaking so carelessly.

"Please, just heal me. Last time I bled all over the place you said Camille doesn't like it."

"She's not here tonight."

"Oh, we're alone?" Will asked in awe.

"Does that piece of information scare you or thrill you?" Magnus waved a hand, making Will's shirt disappear. "Whoa! That's one deep wound."

"Good for you to notice. I kept telling you that I'm bleeding to death. You kept hitting on me."

"Never miss an opportunity to tell someone how beautiful they are," Magnus said absently. "Even when they're deathly white and bleeding copious amounts of blood on a vampire's furniture."

"I guess it's a good thing Camille isn't here. I'd become her snack, and not you even you could save me," Will joked.

Alec stared open-mouthed at the two of them. His dream had come true. He knew from what Magnus had written in the notebook that Will was only a good friend, but it seemed something more was going on. And despite the way he looked (exactly like Alec, or close enough), Alec was aware of the Herondale sarcasm.

"Ow!"

Alec jumped out of his skin at the raw scream coming from Will. He took tentative steps to the armchair, but stopped halfway there. The boy was truly hurt. There was a gash oozing blood on his left side.

Magnus used a wet cloth and his magic to make it better.

"Do you want me to kiss it better?" Magnus teased.

Will turned a little more green than he already was. "Please don't. Let us never discuss— never even think about our lips locked."

"Your loss, Herondale. I'm an exceptional lover."

"By the Angel, please stop. I'm going to be sick."

"Not on the Persian carpet! It's enough you left a trail of blood in your wake and imbibed this gorgeous armchair in it. Not even my magic can make it quite the same as before."

"Do you think Camille will notice you changing her furniture?"

"This is her favorite armchair. It's possible she'll notice," Magnus said calmly. He worked on cleaning and bandaging the wound. "There, good as new."

"Thanks, I guess." Will stood up, wincing and grabbing his side.

Magnus snapped his fingers, making a glass with amber liquid appear in Will's hand. "Drink up."

"You want me drunk?"

"Next step is my bed. I'm keeping you here tonight. I don't like the way that wound looks."

Will frowned. "I can't stay, Magnus! Jem..."

"He'll be fine. Tessa is with him. If you want to be there for him, you should stop being so reckless." Magnus tapped the glass in Will's hand. "Bottoms up, and to bed with you."

"Why does that sound so dirty?"

Magnus smiled secretly.

Alec was convinced there had never been anything between Magnus and Will Herondale by that point, and if Magnus inviting him to bed led to more, he didn't want to know.

Once Will had drank two scotch glasses, Magnus pointed to the door, insisting for him to go ahead.

With a few waves of hand, the blood stains disappeared from the armchair. Then Magnus approached him, where he was rooted in the middle of the room.

Alec was certain Magnus was looking through him, but then he startled when being addressed.

"Alexander, what are you doing here?"

"Uh..."

"Alexander... Alec... Love, come home."

His heavy lids closed, and next time he opened his eyes, Alec was in Magnus's arms on their sofa at the loft in New York. He noticed Max hovering, watching him with wet eyes.

"What? What happened?" Alec grabbed his head. It throbbed.

"Daddy!" Max flung himself at Alec, his little arms squeezing the air out of him. "I'm so sorry!"

"I think I told you to go to your room. We'll have a talk about this later," Magnus said sternly.

Once Max shuffled out of the room, Magnus held Alec close, kissing his forehead. "What has he done, darling? Where were you?"

"You mean you don't know? You were there. You even talked to me."

"I tried to find you and reach out for you."

"Oh." Alec was at a loss. "In the past."

Magnus kissed all over Alec's face. "If Max wasn't ours and I didn't love him, I'd probably curse him into next century."

"He asked about my darkest secret. I didn't think anything of it. I didn't even tell him what it was," Alec admitted quietly.

"His magic is getting out of hand. I was sure he'd managed to banish you to some other dimension. I was so scared."

Alec tried to make light of it, understanding how scared Magnus had been. "As long as it wasn't Hell. Been there, not a fan of it."

"My silly Nephilim boy. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly."

"A part of my past, I suspect?" Magnus insisted.

"Of course. Your past is still a fascinating subject to me."

"What was it? Paris? London? China? Not Peru. Say it wasn't Peru."

Alec giggled, cupping Magnus's cheek. "It was London." He kissed Magnus softly. "It involved a distant relative of Jace's. You never told me sarcasm is inherited."

Magnus froze, his lips an inch above Alec's. "Will?" He guessed from the first try.

"Yes, and I was a fool to judge you or to be jealous of someone who looked sick at the mere thought of kissing you."

Magnus relaxed, smiling. "I told you. I can't help myself. Blue-eyed and dark hairs men are my weakness. It's a bonus when they return my feelings." He kissed Alec slowly, exploring his mouth. "Never scare me like this again."

"Please, don't be too rough on Max. I trust you to explain—" He sprang up when the doorbell buzzed loudly. "That's Jace. Can I tell him about the things he has in common with his long lost relative?"

"Be my guest, and please insist on what a charmer Will was."

Alec laughed loudly on the way to the door. "Hi!" He greeted his parabatai with a smile.

"Are you quite ready? We got a message about demons in the Financial District. Now, I'm not sure if it is about the out of the world ones, or the real ones."

"See you later." Alec turned to Magnus, who'd joined them in the hallway. "Talk to Maxie."

"Will do." Magnus nodded, kissing him. "Have fun!"

"Oh, lots of it!" Jace rolled his eyes, seizing Alec's wrist and pulling him down the stairs. "How's my favorite nephew?" He asked as they left the building.

"Oh, he's so considerate, he sent me to on a trip to London a few minutes ago."

Jace stopped in the middle of the street, turning to gape at Alec. "What?"

"It was fascinating."