A few weeks have passed since the breakup. Alec allowed himself their four day break to wallow in self pity and get over his heartbreak. Of course, no one needs to know that he isn't over Magnus, and he doesn't think he'll be over him anytime soon. The first four days, Alec barely managed to get out of bed. Once he was required to do so for work, he managed to get up early enough so that he could go for a run which had helped clear his head, as well as worked out some of the knots in his muscles from lack of use during those four days. After the first day of running, Alec made a new routine for himself. This included running, going to the gym, cooking, cleaning, and anything else he could do to keep himself from falling into some semblance of a depression. He also hasn't been back to Kaelie's bar since, what he now calls, 'The Magnus Incident'. It also helps that Alec doesn't get off work until two o'clock in the morning, so he can't go in and drink, even if he wanted to.

These days, Alec doesn't speak to Magnus unless he has to for work reasons, avoiding him the rest of the time. Magnus has tried to approach Alec on multiple occasions, but Alec just can't be around him.

Magnus, unfortunately, has been a constant in Alec's thoughts. Magnus had said that he's going to do everything in his power to earn Alec's trust back, but so far, all he has managed to do was piss Alec off. Over the last few weeks, Magnus has only tried to buy his way back into Alec's life. First are the flowers, which are delivered to Alec's apartment daily. Then there are also the chocolate covered fruits. First it was strawberries, then cherries, then various types of melon. Magnus has also managed to have food delivered from different restaurants. Some had even been from Magnus's dad's place.

The whole thing is making Alec wonder if Magnus even knows him at all. They were together for three months, he really should know by now that Alec doesn't care about materialistic things.

It's not what you can buy, it's the way you choose to act that counts.

Magnus has made no effort to contact Alec at all since he showed up at his house the day after everything had happened. No phone calls, no texts, nothing. Alec also knows that he's not making it easy on Magnus, but he can't help but feel petty about everything. Magnus ruined their relationship all because of the fact that he is too terrified to come out to everyone at work, so Alec is making no effort to speak to him while they are there. Luckily their relationship, or lack thereof, hasn't affected their job performance. They still work great together.

Alec has noticed, though, that even Aline barely speaks with Magnus anymore. This abrupt change in the nature of their friendship is very confusing, so Alec decides to confront her about it one day.

"Hey, Aline?"

"What's up?" Aline glances towards Alec while she's putting her lunch in the breakroom.

"I was just wondering, why are you giving Magnus the cold shoulder? He's your friend too." Alec shuffles his feet as he asks, feeling increasingly uncomfortable about this conversation, but he doesn't want Magnus to lose everyone he's close to.

"He wanted to act like a petulant child, all for the sake of his discretion, now I'm going to act like the petulant child, and make him realize that he's an asshole." Is Aline's response. She closes the refrigerator after putting the container she's holding in there, and the thud of the door closing signals the end of their conversation.

Alec doesn't really agree with Aline's reasoning, but he can't do anything to change her mind. Even Sebastian and Jordan have been acting strange lately. Alec has no idea what the deal is with that, but as shitty as this may seem, he can't bring himself to care enough to ask. They've done nothing wrong, but lately, Alec has given zero fucks about a lot of things that should matter to him. As of right now, it seems like the only thing Alec can do is just exist.

As Sebastian finishes giving Alec the shift change report, Jordan walks over. Alec raises an eyebrow at the two. They clearly have something they want to say, but neither of them will speak up. Getting frustrated, Alec rakes a hand through his hair and huffs.

"Listen Alec, we just want to say that we're sorry," Jordan starts. Alec, clearly confused, just nods his head.

"We know that you just broke up with your boyfriend," Seb hesitates, then adds, "we can see it written all over your face. You were talking about this guy nonstop, then suddenly you come in here and you look like hell, you barely speak to anyone, and your patience seems to be at an all time low."

"Uh yeah... I did end things recently. Turns out, he was just another cheating asshole." Alec feels nauseated just thinking about the breakup.

"Well if you need anything, you know you can come to us right?" Jordan offers kindly. "Maybe our next night off, we could have a guys night. We'll take you out and get you drunk. We can even be your wingmen, how does that sound?"

Alec huffs a small laugh. "I appreciate it guys, but this last relationship really fucked me up. I don't think I'm ready to go out partying with you guys yet. Raincheck?" They both nod. "Thanks guys." Alec slaps his friends on the shoulder and walks off feeling just a little better. It's good to have friends.

~oOo~

So far they've all had a busy shift. It's Saturday night, with it being the beginning of September, college students are back in full swing, and they all seem to become dumber as the years go on. They've had calls for three small dorm fires, two fraternity fights that required medical attention, and one public intoxication. The police also had to arrest the woman who was drunk beyond belief, even though she was sent to the hospital to have her stomach pumped. Now they're heading to pick up a guy from a bar fight. Dispatch told them that the man they're picking up has a two inch laceration to the head, possible broken leg, and a possible dislocated shoulder. 'This should be a fun time,' Alec thinks sarcastically.

When they arrive at the nightclub, they're let in immediately, seeing as the club has been cleared out enough to let the gurney through. The nightclub owner ushers them back to where they're holding the patient.

"So, do we need to wait for the police before we do anything?" Alec asks as they're walking.

"I've decided not to press charges on the young man that you're picking up. From what witnesses say, the kid was just dancing when a woman came up and started dancing with him, then the woman's boyfriend showed up and sucker punched him. The poor guy was just defending himself," the nightclub owner explains. The owner maneuvers everyone out of the way for them to work on the patient.

"Thanks sir, we'll take it from here," Magnus states once everyone is cleared out. Alec gets a good look at the patient and his breath hitches.

He never thought he'd see this person again.

"Jace!" Alec exclaims as he runs towards his brother. Alec isn't sure, but he swears he hears Magnus growl as Alec reaches up to gently prod at the cut on his brother's head.

"Okay Jace, how did this happen?" Alec is still assessing his brother's injuries while he waits on a reply.

"This huge asshole decided it would be fun to toss me around like a ragdoll, all because his girlfriend came up and started dancing with me," Jace grits out.

Alec finishes cleaning and putting the steri-strips on his brother's head, then continues to look over the rest of him. He can clearly see that Jace has separated his right AC joint based on the protrusion of his clavicle, and Jace's left knee is swollen to the size of a cantaloupe. Alec evaluates the knee. Based off of the evaluation alone, he knows that Jace has torn his ACL and MCL. God only knows how much of his menisci he's torn. Alec can only hope that Jon is the on call resident tonight.

"Alright man, let's get you to the hospital and see what the extent of this damage is," Alec says through gritted teeth as he helps Jace onto the gurney.

"Great. I'm looking forward to it," Jace replies back sarcastically.

He stays mostly quiet as they roll the gurney out of the club and to the ambulance that's waiting outside, but the silence doesn't last long.

"So tell me, Alec, where the hell have you been for the past five fucking years?" Jace sneers as they load him in the back of the ambulance.

"Jace, I can't get into that right now. I'll talk to you about it later if I'm allowed to visit you," Alec says solemnly. His emotions have been at an all time high ever since the breakup, and now that he's seeing his brother for the first time in years, he's having a very hard time keeping the tears away.

"What do you mean, 'if you're allowed to visit me'? You're the one who left all those years ago, no one is stopping you from coming back," Jace grits out. Alec can tell that his pain level is increasing now that the adrenaline is wearing off.

"Jace! I didn't choose to leave! Mom and dad kicked me out!" Alec hisses. "Now, once we get you to the hospital, I'm sure the nursing staff will call them in, then I'll have to leave. Can we please not fight about this?"

"Yeah okay fine, but I don't want them to call mom and dad. I want to go home with you, if that's okay? We have a lot of catching up to do," Jace says, his eyes searching Alec's face for something Alec isn't sure he will be able to find there.

"I can arrange that." Alec clears his throat. "I just need to clear it with my roommate, but I don't think that'll be a problem. You can sleep in my room." Alec can see how red Magnus' face is getting, but he doesn't doesn't understand why, nor does he care. Yes, he knows he's an emotional wreck, but he hasn't seen his brother in five years. It's a lot to take in.

"So are you going to introduce me to your coworkers?" Jace smirks. "You seem a little rude there don't you think, big brother?" And... he winks. He fucking winks! Alec can't help but to laugh.

"Yes Jace, so this is Magnus, and the one driving is Aline. Guys, this is my younger brother, Jace." Magnus' face lights up as he greets Jace. Aline yells out a quick hello as she drives up to the ER entrance.

They wheel Jace back as Alec is giving Clary the details of his assessment. Then Clary makes a quick call to ortho, just as Magnus and Aline appear at Alec's side.

"Jon will be down as soon as we get the x-rays and MRI's back. I can say for certain that his AC joint is in fact separated. But as far as the ligament damage is concerned, we won't know until we get the MRI results back. But I think Jon is going to request a wet read so he can see if we need to prep your brother for surgery," Clary reports in her professional tone. "Jonathan also mentioned that he does not want us to call his emergency contact, and that you will be taking care of him afterwards?" She quirks an eyebrow at Alec.

"Uh yeah, he asked if he can stay with us while he recovers. And don't you dare call him Jonathan outside of this hospital. He hates his name, much like you hate yours."

That causes Clary to laugh. "Fair enough, what am I supposed to call him then?"

"He prefers Jace. My parents gave him that nickname when they adopted him." Clary nods in understanding.

"Hey Alec," Magnus says, clearing his throat, "if you want, you can stay with your brother. I can have Aline call the station to give them a heads up on what's going on. Then I can bring your car back, if you want. Our shift ended about an hour ago anyway." The uncertainty in his voice surprises Alec.

This is the type of thing he wants Magnus to do to try to 'prove himself', Alec thinks. He suppresses the petty urge to decline Magnus' offer, and forces himself to be take the mature approach to the situation instead.

"Uh yeah, that'd be great. Thanks Magnus." Alec gives a small smile as he hands Magnus his car keys. With a quick nod, Magnus walks over to Aline and they exit the hospital.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that." Clary sounds just as surprised as Alec feels.

"Yeah," Alec croaks and clears the lump that's settled in his throat, "neither was I."

~oOo~

Alec's assessment on Jace was spot on. He has a full ACL tear, a partial MCL tear, and they do need to clean out the damaged menisci. They've decided that the knee needs the surgery immediately. Not only did the ligaments tear, but there is also patellar luxation, which means there is no way that Jace will be able to walk on his leg until the repairs have been made. He's also going to need extensive physical therapy. They also have to repair the AC joint separation, which is going to cause Jace a lot of down time.

Now that Alec is sitting in the waiting room, he has nothing to do but think of everything that's happened in the last few weeks. He thinks about Magnus, of course. The subject quickly morphs into his previous boyfriends and why he stopped dating to begin with. The conversation he's had with Jace follows up that train of thought seamlessly.

Would it have been beneficial for him to go back into the closet just so he could stay close to his parents and siblings? No, no matter how hard his life has been since being kicked out, he doesn't regret not denying who he truly is. He leans forward, places his elbows on his knees, and puts his head in his hands. Alec sighs deeply, running his fingers through his hair. He just feels numb.

Just then, Alec feels a very familiar hand on his back, slowly rubbing comforting circles. He looks up to see Magnus sitting beside him. Even after what Magnus has done to him, the sight of Magnus alone takes his breath away. Facing forward, Alec clears the tightness in his throat and keeps his eyes trained on the linoleum floor in front of him.

"When I was fifteen, I was in the front yard throwing a football back and forth with my baby brother. He was only nine at the time. Max threw the ball back to me, but his aim was horrible. The ball rolled into the street, and when I was about to run after it, Max told me that he was going to get it, so he could try the throw again. He looked both ways before he went to retrieve the ball, but our neighbor was distracted on the phone. He ran the stop sign and hit Max. I called 911, and the paramedics did everything they could to try to save him. He died at the hospital three days later." Alec stops to compose himself for a moment before continuing, "Of course, I placed the blame all on myself. I was being irresponsible, and I didn't protect my brother the way that I should have... but my parents, Jace, and Izzy all told me that it was no one's fault. It was just an accident that could have happened to anybody. Eventually I believed them.

"A few weeks after the funeral, I wanted to talk to my parents. They own a law firm that handles corporate accounts for businesses all over the U.S.. They always said that they wanted me to go to law school and eventually take over their firm. But my passion changed. God! I was so scared to tell them that I didn't want to follow in their footsteps. I wanted to make my own way in this world, and I wanted to do something that made a difference in someone else's life. I told my parents that I wanted to become a paramedic. They only looked at each other, then faced me, and said okay. When I asked them if they were mad, they told me that the only thing that would make them mad is if I did something that didn't make me happy. They told me that all they want is for their children to be happy, as long as it wasn't something illegal." Alec chuckles at that. "They also told me that no matter what, they loved me and my siblings unconditionally.

"I've always known I was gay. When Jace started looking at girls, I was noticing all of the boys in our classes. I never said anything about my sexuality because I never thought it was a big deal. In high school I didn't really care about dating anyone. The only thing that I was worried about was getting good grades so I could go to college. I went to prom my senior year in high school, but I went with a group of friends. I knew of a few guys in school that were out, but I didn't like them enough to bother. Not to mention that I didn't want to get into a relationship my senior year, then only have to part ways once we went to college. Like I said, it just wasn't something that interested me.

"My freshman year in college, I met a guy who I ended up having a huge crush on. This guy, Scott, seemed to notice me as well. A few weeks after I met him, and after he and I started getting to know each other, I arranged to have lunch with my parents. They wanted to know how school was going, and if you knew my brother and sister, you would know that they like to compete for center of attention. They were both seniors in highschool, and they tended to go on and on about themselves every night at the dinner table. I didn't mind, of course. I love my siblings, and I always liked hearing about their days. But mom and dad wanted to know what was going on with my school work, and my social life." Alec stops once again to compose himself. "My parents took a Friday afternoon off from work.

"We were at the house having lunch together, and I was telling them all about my first semester as a college student. After I told them about my classes, I told them all about Scott. I didn't think anything of coming out to them. I think I was more afraid to tell them that I didn't want to be a lawyer, than I was of coming out." Alec notices silent tears falling down his cheeks. "Once I finished telling them about Scott, my parents had this look of disgust aimed towards me. Once they recovered from their shock they told me to leave. They gave me an hour to pack my clothes, they took my cell phone and my credit cards away, then told me to never come back.

"I couldn't even say goodbye to my siblings. I slept in my car the first night. Clary was able to get me a job working at JJ's, she's the one who found me asleep in my car, and I've been living with her ever since. About a month after I got my job, I was able to get a new cell phone. I called my parents' landline one afternoon, thinking they would be at work, and one of my siblings would answer the phone. To my disappointment, my mother answered. I asked to speak to either Jace or Izzy but she refused. She told me that she and my dad had told Jace and Izzy that because of "certain lifestyle choices" that I had made, they were no longer allowed to have any contact with me. My parents had gone ahead and changed Jace and Izzy's cell phone numbers just so I couldn't contact them on my own. I questioned my mom on what she had said exactly, fearful of how my siblings would react to the news of their older brother being gay - considering how my parents reacted - and she said that she and dad told them that I was currently in a relationship that they didn't approve of and, therefore, until I "got my act together", I was no longer welcome in their family.

"I wrote my parents off that day. I figured that if they didn't care, why should I? Scott and I ended up dating for several months, then he became possessive. He even tried to get me to move out of my apartment. He said that I spent too much time with Clary and Jon, and I was neglecting him. The last straw was when I came home from the gym one night with Jon, and Scott had Clary pinned up on the wall in our hallway choking her to death. He was arrested, and I haven't seen or heard from him since. Of course, Clary's parents made us move and change our phone numbers just in case.

"Then, a few months after I graduated, and started working at the station, I met this guy named Adam. He was everything to me. He and I dated for about a year and a half, and I was planning on proposing to him. But then... then I found out that he had been lying to me during our entire relationship. He told me that he was still in the closet, but as it turned out, his parents had 'made' him find a woman to be his beard, while he maintained his indiscretions with men in private. After that failed relationship, I decided that it wasn't worth it anymore. I would flirt with men who showed interest in me, I would occasionally hook up when I wanted a release, but I never considered having a serious relationship again."

Alec looks over towards Magnus for the first time since he's started his story.

"And then I met you. You're the first person I've even considered dating in years. And unfortunately, you have proven my theory correct. Every relationship has stipulations... conditions if you will. With my parents, I had to be straight. With Scott, I had to give up who I was, and people who are everything to me. Adam only wanted me as long as I shoved myself back into the closet. And you... you only wanted me as long as no one we work with found out. My parents lied to me, Magnus. There is no such thing as unconditional love, and you proved that to me once again. You claim you're in love with me, but you're willing to hurt me as long as you can keep your secret."

A single tear was running down Magnus's cheek, but Alec continues on, "I don't think that's love, Magnus."

At that moment, Jon walks out and tells Alec that Jace is in recovery and he can go back to see him. Without another word, Alec gets up, and walks away from Magnus.