"Izzy?" Alec whispered. Both siblings locked eyes and little by little, tears starts to form. Alec couldn't muttered any words as he was terrible shocked at the view in front of him, it felt like a dream, the dream he long so terribly every single day for the past years. Izzy took the liberty in walking closer to her elder brother. She herself had longed for this day to happen but what are the odds meeting him here. As she walked closer closing the distant between them, Alec raised his hand stoping her in her tracks.

"If this is a dream, please don't let me wake up. Please Izzy, stop this torture and tell me the truth. A-Are you real? Is this real? I-I c-can't bear-" Alec was interrupted when Izzy wrapped herself in his arm and hugged him tight. "If this is a dream, I wouldn't wanna wake up either, but I'm here Alec. I finally found you." She sobbed in Alec's chest and Alec initially didn't have the courage to wrap his arm around her petite body but now he did and he sobbed in tears inhaling the same scent in her hair. It felt like home.

His knees gave up as he wobbled and fell on the floor in their hugs and Izzy pulled away from the hug and kneeled before Alec catching his head in her both palms. "Alec look at me, its real, you're here with me, I'm not illusion, here-" she took his hand and placed it on her soaked cheek. "I'm real. I'm here big brother, I miss you so much." She continued sobbing her tears drowning them both in them, she couldn't care less where they were at the moment. For years she had been looking for him and now finally she got him back in her arms and she wasn't even expecting to see him.

"I'm so sorry, please forgive me, Izz, I'm so sorry for leaving. I shouldn't have-"

"Alec, shush shush, its okay, its in the past. I found you Alec. Finally I found you big brother."

Izzy pulled him for another hug resting Alec's head on her shoulder as she stroke his back. "I'm never letting you go Izz." Alec promised her in their embrace and now his lives are complete again. He finally found his baby sister and soon he will be reunite with his family and everything will be back to normal or so he thought.

They were still hugging each other when Maia walked in the room and found both siblings on the floor by Magnus desk in tears. "I-Is everything okay?" She asked in worried thinking Alec or Izzy might have hurt since she heard the sobbing tears from outside. Izzy turned to her and smile crept on her face. Her face was ruined with make up and she couldn't care less for it. "I found him, Maia I found my brother." She looked back at Alec and smiled, Alec smiled before pulling her into another hug.

Izzy pulled Alec up on his feet before they both wiped their tears. "Maia tell Magnus I have something to do, I will reschedule my time with him." Maia looked at Alec and her before Alec continued. "Please don't tell anyone about this yet, especially Magnus." He begged and Maia nodded in understanding. "Its okay Alec, I won't. I'm happy for both of you." She smiled at them and Izzy took her bag from the chair and pulled her big brother with her, "come on, you have a lot of explanation to do." She said dragging him out from the office.

They both sat in a coffee house when they decided they should pull over to chat. Izzy ordered her favorite tea while Alec his usual coffee. She ordered herself a scone since she didn't had her lunch yet and Alec refused to eat since he was at his feet eager to hear her stories.

Alec spilled his stories to her and basically told her everything about what happened after he left the house. He told her how he went back to the house but it was sold and he had to be homeless and how he met Liam and how his journey starts from there. Izzy couldn't help controlling her tears as it pouring out like waterfall. She couldn't bear hearing her brother being tortured all these years. She sworn she would have killed Liam if she got him in her hand. Alec spared the details on Liam's threat on killing her because he's afraid it would worry her more. Their conversation leads to Magnus and how they met and now he's at his mansion being the caretaker for Rafael.

Alec waited for Izzy patiently for her side of stories after years of separating with each other. He longed to know how Jace is doing, his mum, his father although he is the reason for his misery he forgave him as long as they are family again. Izzy sighed sipped through her tea before she continued.

"After you left, dad was infuriated and he kept saying how embarrassed he was at the Branwell's. Apparently Alec, after your union and wedding, we were not to stay in America. Since the union failed, dad made another deal with his business associate and decide we moved to Italy. He sold everything to that guy his business in New York and he build new business in Italy. I went to further my studies in England and there is where I met Magnus, Raphael, Maia and Cat. I had to changed my name since your the only one who called me Izz other than Jace. Its too heartbreaking. I decided I go by Bella. I tried for years looking for you Alec. I keep going back to New York to look for you, so does Jace and mum."

Alec straightened his back upon hearing words on his mum. "Mom is looking for me? How is she? Izzy you have to take me to her." Izzy couldn't form any words instead her mouth gaped apart. "Alec, about mama." She held her words looking through the windows by their side. She couldn't look into Alec's hoping eyes. He waited for Izzy to continue although his heart was bursting in impatient.

"She went and look for you for years, their marriage is at verge. She blamed daddy for separating you from us. She keep repeating how she won't forgave him if anything happened to you she didn't had the chance to say how sorry she was for leaving. She was so mad that you refused to talk it out instead you just leave us, so dad decide to leave you. She went back every month for six month straight after one year we left New York and went back every year on your birthday thinking you might be around but every single time she went she failed and went back empty handed. She falls into depression and -"

Izzy held back his words as tears brimming on her cheek and she felt her words stuck in her throat. "Izzy, she what? What happened to her?" Alec begged her to continue as his eyes focused on Izzy's but after she made contact on those pairs that similar to their mum he knew something is wrong. "She went to New York last year to find you and made peace if she couldn't find you anymore, she never came back and the police said she died. Her car crash into the valley and burned in flamed, her body is unrecognized but her stuff is there, her wedding ring and her phone. I'm so sorry Alec. We grieve for a year before I managed to get back on my feet to come back here in New York to see my friends."

Alec couldn't process her words after he heard what she said, he felt the walls are eating him and kept swallowing him if he continued to sit in that coffee house so he stood up and ran out. He needed air, he need to breathe. He felt like his chest crushed by a wall and the more he inhaled the more its hard to breathe. Outside of the cafe he stood by the wall clenching to his chest. He doesn't have anymore strength to stand so he let his body slipped on the ground by the pavement. Izzy ran out a few minutes after and saw her brother sobbing by the side walk. She ran to his side and didn't think twice before she hugged him.

Alec tried to fight his sister to leave him alone but Izzy pulled him tighter to her chest. "Its all my fault Izz, she died because she tried to look for me, if only I didn't ran out. If only I listened to dad and just married Lydia like I supposed too. This won't happened. She would have been alive if I wasn't being so childish. It should have been me. I'm the one who should die Izz, not her." Izzy rocked her brother front and back trying to calm him but to no avail. They didn't care about the people who walked by the pavement and witnessed their drama as they weren't interested to know either.

Alec stopped crying for almost an hour when Izzy decided to take him home to Magnus. She drove for almost twenty minutes waiting for his brother to say something but nothing. He just looked to his side and stared at the outside world. It scares her to see him like this but he needed the time to process, he needed the time to heal and grief. "Stop here." He pointed at the corner one more turned before the entrance of Magnus mansion. Izzy do it willingly although in her mind had thousands questions.

"Something wrong?" She asked. Alec undid his seatbelt and turned a bit to face her, she mirrored the action. "I need you to keep this a secret. You can't tell Magnus, things between me and Magnus had already complicated enough. I will be the one who tell him everything." Alec begged hoping Izzy would understand. "But Alec you don't have to go back to him, lets go home, come with me." She said. "Home where Izzy? I don't have a home. Italy is not my home, you, mum and Jace is. dad won't want to see me, so what's the point?" He said and again another set of tears fall on his cheek.

"Alec you don't need a place to call home as long as we have each other. I can't lose you again, please come with me." She tried to beg again and Alec never did could resist her, he sighed before leaning against the seat of her car. "Give me time Izz, I will come home to you guys, that is the only thing I want to do, but I cannot do that to Magnus and Rafe will be devastated if I just pick up and leave. They are the one who save me countless time and I can't just leave them like this. Please understand Izzy." Izzy sighed and her gaze turned back to Alec. "Okay Alec but you need to tell him sooner or later." Alec nodded agreeing to her every word. She was right, he cannot hide things like this from Magnus, they are friends and sooner or later Izzy would be invited to join the Magnus' event and how they were supposed to react then.

They hugged one last time before Alec got out from her car and he waved her. He decided he needed the walk back home after everything that happened today. He entered Magnus mansion with ease as Magnus gave him the combination number for the gate and he waved the guards for security reason. He walked down the path that covered in trees and cold breeze invade his body. He hugged himself selflessly as he walked down to the mansion.

He entered the house to be greeted with usual Rafe and his manic. "Alec where were you? I was bored. Can we go to the park?" He asked and Alec couldn't bear his heart to say no but he felt exhausted to entertain rage hyper activeness. "How about instead of park, we'll go at the backyard and paint?" He suggested and hoping Rafe would agree to it but then Alec saw he pouted crossing his arm to his chest. "I wanna go to the park pweeze." He begged Alec and Alec couldn't win this. He kneeled down before him and now they are at the same height.

"Rafe, please. I'm tired. I promised we will go tomorrow okay." Rafe stared at Alec tired eyes and his hand stroking Alec's cheek. "Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you again?" He asked. Alec didn't cry but after everything happened today his eyes must have been red and puffy. "I'm not sweetheart, its just I'm having a cold okay." He lied. Rafe nodded before he pulled Alec towards the stairs. "Where are you taking me?" Alec asked. "You should stay in bed, when I got sick, daddy made me stay in bed until I got better, so you should too."

Alec couldn't help but to smile and he went willingly although resting on his comfortable bed is what he need right now. "You go and rest, I'll tell Mary to cook you something okay." Alec chuckled at the thought of a six years old taking care of him better than he took care of himself. Nevertheless he went inside his room and decide for a shower.

The warm water cascading down his body felt better although he couldn't keep his tears from flowing. He sobbed in regret for what happened to his mother. Her face came through his mind, how she smiled, how she laughed and her smell. He could still smell her lavender scent just like Izzy and how he wished he could for once hugged her and tell her how sorry he is for everything. He couldn't help keep blaming himself for what happened and the aching feeling in the pit of his stomach will never leave, forever.

After his shower he put on his clothes and by now his eyes are puffing red and swollen. He sat on the bed looking out the window. He never felt so drained even though he didn't do anything tiring but emotionally exhausted is worst than being physically exhausted.

He wasn't aware Rafe walked in his room as he was lost in his thoughts. Behind him was Mary bringing a tray of what I appears to be soup. "Alec you okay?" She asked. Alec nodded with a weak smile and those aren't fooling her. "Rafe made you this." She said while placing it on the coffee table with a wide smile on his face. Alec had to smile at the thought that Rafe helped in making it not exactly making the soup himself but the thought that counts.

"Thank you Rafe, I will eat it later okay." He said but Rafe climbed the bed and went to his side with a pout on his lips. "but I want you to eat it now so you could feel better." He said and Alec couldn't say no to that face. He nodded before Mary bring it closer to him and he took few spoon full of it and Rafe eyed his every move. "Its really nice Rafe, maybe you could be a chef one day." Alec putting ideas in his mind and he had a wide smile thinking about it. He didn't answer but Alec knew he was thinking about it. "What do you want to be when you grow up Rafe?" He asked and he looked up at Alec and this time not a smile or a pout.

"I-I think I want to be like daddy. He would be so happy, right?" He asked and Alec couldn't help but imaging the weight on this kid shoulder on trying to impress his father. He sighed leaning back on the pillows after he placed the tray on the coffee table, Mary on the other hand had left the room for her chores. "Rafe listen to me. No matter what you have to follow your heart, don't live up the lives to make other people happy. Do what makes you happy okay. Daddy will be happy despite whatever you become. Remember that always."

Rafe snuggled closer to Alec and Alec wrapped his arm around his body. They were both lying on the bed side by side. "You promise you won't leave me Alec? Like mummy did?" He asked and Alec couldn't bear a heart to say no but he need to understand the idea that Alec is merely temporary in that house, in his life. "I can't promised you that Rafe, soon you're gonna have a new mummy and I can't stay here anymore. But I will promise you that I will always be here if you needed me okay."

Silenced, Alec was waiting for an answer but instead he got small soft snores from Rafe. He look to his side, Rafe is already in dreamland comfortable under Alec's warmth. Alec had to smile at his cuteness and decide to join since his body is already exhausted. He lay back with Rafe snuggled closer and end up sleeping on his chest. He held the boy and worried he has grown rather over attachment on him and how he would separated from him. His thought drifted as his eyes drooped to sleep.