Magnus is dancing with Camille - whose name he finally learns - and it all feels wrong in his mind. She's a beautiful woman, but that's just it...she's a woman. She isn't Alec, and as soon as Magnus leaves the table, he feels like he's being the worst boyfriend in the world. Magnus panicked when Camille came up and started hitting on him. He hadn't wanted everyone at the table to question why he denied her advances, so he'd just flirted back instead. He knows that what he's doing is wrong, but he just can't stop at this point. As the saying goes, 'It's better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask permission', well it seems that Magnus is going to be on his knees begging for forgiveness. He's about to tell Camille that he's going to head back to his table, when she grabs his shirt and pulls him down into a kiss. He's so stunned at this point that it takes a few seconds for his brain to catch up with his body. He pulls away from the kiss just in time to see Alexander storming out of the bar. Magnus doesn't even register all of the wolf whistles and catcalls that are going on at the table. Fuck!

The next thing Magnus knows, he's being pulled away from Camille.

"Excuse me, but Magnus needs to go and explain to his boyfriend why he's suddenly making out with some random slut!" Aline sneers as she's dragging him away. They step outside just in time to see Alec's car speeding away. Magnus' heart plummets at the sight of his boyfriend's erratic driving. He can't help but to think back to the conversation they'd had the first night that Magnus started working at the station.

'I was a stupid nineteen-year-old gay kid who was just going through a very difficult time at that point in my life.'

Magnus is now terrified that Alec will be too distracted to drive, and get into another accident. The next thing Magnus feels, is a hot searing pain on his left cheek. 'Did Aline just slap me?'

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Why in the hell would you do something like this to Alec of all people? Do you realize what you've just done? Huh?" Aline yells, she looks like she's almost in tears. Magnus can't really blame her, he feels the same way. "Magnus, I swear to god you better answer me right now!"

"I-I don't know! I panicked okay! She was flirting with me and instead of doing nothing about it, I just went along with it!" Magnus stammers out as he's crying. "I just didn't want anyone to question why I was rejecting a woman." At this, Magnus is full on sobbing.

"It didn't occur to you to maybe say 'Thanks, but no thanks. I'm in a relationship.' It's not that hard Magnus." Aline says.

"I didn't want everyone asking questions! I was too afraid of slipping up and saying something that would cause them to know that I'm not only gay, but I'm in a relationship with Alexander," Magnus chokes out in between sobs.

"Well honey, I hate to break it to you, but after that little stunt, I'm not so sure you are with Alec anymore," she says in a sad tone. She's also rubbing her temples. "Come on, I'm taking you to Alec's house so you can have a talk with him, and try to salvage what's left." As Aline starts walking, Magnus just stays rooted in place. When she reaches her car, she notices that he hasn't moved. "Unless, this was your way of getting out of the relationship in which case, you're a true piece of shit."

"No, no. I want to go over there, I'm just terrified of what he's going to say." Magnus continues to stand on the sidewalk, leaning against a light pole, with his hands threading through his hair, and lets out another sob before walking towards Aline's car.

"You'll never know unless you man up and go talk to him. It's better to do so now than wait till later." she states, not unkindly. Magnus nods, walks over to her car and gets in the passenger seat.

~oOo~

The entire drive over, Magnus is texting and calling Alec; begging him to answer his phone. After the fourth attempt at calling, it goes straight to voicemail, which doesn't give him much faith in ever being able to call Alec his again. Magnus is also diligently searching the streets to make sure that he doesn't see Alec's car crashed on the side of the road anywhere. As Aline continues driving, Magnus' leg can't seem to stay still. He's so anxious to get to Alec's house that he can't seem to calm down. His emotions are at an all time high at the moment, which is no one's fault but his own. He did this! He has to make it right, no matter what it takes.

Aline pulls up to the apartment building and puts her car in park. She turns so that she's facing Magnus, looking at him with a mixture of annoyance and pity.

"Do you want me to wait for a few minutes just in case he doesn't let you go up?" Aline asks.

"No, you've done more than enough to help me. If I can't fix this, I deserve to have to walk all the way home," Magnus whispers, looking down at his hands. Aline nods and wishes him luck.

Magnus gets out of the car, walks up to the buzzer, and pushes the button for Alec's apartment repeatedly.

"If this is Magnus, I want you to go away!" the very angry female voice, who Magnus recognized as Clary, screams, causing the intercom to crackle loudly and unpleasantly.

"Please Clary, I have to speak with him. I know I messed up, but I have to do whatever I can to make things right again," Magnus chokes out. As soon as he'd heard Clary's angry voice through the intercom, his composure fell completely by the wayside.

"You're not speaking with him tonight Magnus, go away."

"Please!" Magnus pleads desperately. "I'll sit out here all night if I have to, I just need to see him. I'm begging you, just please let me come up."

There's only silence on the other end of the cold metal speaker. Magnus knows that Clary is ignoring him, which is understandable with what he's done to her best friend. Magnus sits on the steps, puts his head in his hands, and lets out an uncontrollable sob. He's starting to hyperventilate when he feels a hand touch the small of his back. He knows that hand belongs to Clary - Alec's hand is twice the size of hers - and she starts to rub circles over his back to try and help calm him down. After what feels like years, but has probably only been a few minutes, Magnus's breathing becomes easier.

"I'm not going to let you see Alec tonight, but I would like to at least hear your side of this story," Clary says in a soft voice. Magnus takes a few calming breaths before he begins retelling the events of tonight.

"Wow...okay. You really did screw up Magnus. There's no denying it," Clary says as she looks up at him with big green eyes. "I'm going to tell you a story, and I know Alec is going to kill me for telling you, but I think you should know." Magnus solemnly nods his head.

"Alec...has had nothing but bad relationships. It doesn't matter the type of relationship, whether it be romantic or otherwise, nothing has ever worked out for him," Clary began. "I won't get into the details with his parents - so don't even try to ask - but Alec has only had two serious romantic relationships before you came along. His first boyfriend, Scott, was a complete asshole. Their time together started out well enough, but then Scott became possessive, he even went as far as to try and control who Alec associated with."

Clary pauses and Magnus senses she was building up to something important.

"When they broke up, Scott looked Alec dead in the eye and said something Alec had never forgotten. 'No one in their right mind would be with you willingly.'

"I told Alec to ignore him but he was never able to," Clary continues. "That phrase was burned into his mind. It hit a little too close to home for him. Sometimes I think he believes Scott's words to be true. No matter how many times my parents, Jon or myself tell him otherwise, that night has become part of how he defines himself." Clary takes a breath before continuing. Magnus can tell that this conversation is taking its toll on her.

"Next came Adam, and he was everything you could possibly ask for in a boyfriend, loving, kind, understanding... but he also had a downfall. Adam wasn't out of the closet. It didn't really bother Alec that much, considering he too hadn't been out that long. He dated Adam for about a year and a half, and Alec honestly thought that Adam was it for him. They were moving in together when one night, Alec decided to leave work early to surprise Adam. Adam had given Alec a key to his apartment, and Alec decided to use that key for the first time and set everything up for a romantic dinner and proposal. The only problem was, when he walked into the apartment, it was Alec who got the surprise of his life, not the other way around. According to Alec, Adam already had a fiancé, who was a woman."

Magnus can't help the shocked look he gives Clary at that moment.

"It turned out that Adam had come out to his parents, who'd been fine with him being gay as long as he married a woman and raised a family. He could have discreet relationships with men, and he expected Alec to be his dirty little secret."

Clary is glaring daggers at Magnus, and Magnus feels like he deserves every dagger. Clary takes a deep breath before continuing.

"So Magnus, this is where my problem lies with you. In my eyes, tonight you're basically no better than Adam. You went through so much trouble to keep an unnecessary secret, that you broke my best friends heart." The expression on Clary's face is that of unadulterated hatred. "I honestly thought you were different, but it appears that I was wrong. You, Adam, and Scott are just reinforcing Alec's ridiculous notion that there is no such thing as pure, unconditional love." With that, Clary stands up to go back inside.

"Please tell me what I can do to fix things, Clary." Magnus whispers.

"I don't know if you can, Magnus. I leave to go to work at six o'clock tomorrow evening. I know Alec won't allow you in, however, if you just happen to show up around the same time I leave for work, I won't stop you from going inside to see him."

With that, she walks away.