Prologue - Sleepwalker.

"I'll be out all day," Magnus said. "Come and get your things out of the apartment. Leave your key on the dining room table." His eyes searched Alec's face. "It's over I don't want to see you again, Alec. Or any of your friends. I'm tired of being their pet warlock." Alec woke with a start throwing himself bolt upright; the sheets to his bed at the Institute were tangled around his sweating figure. Three weeks had passed and he had not seen or heard from Magnus again, not since that day down in the abandoned train tunnels. As Magnus had requested he had taken all of his stuff from the apartment and left without another word being said or written for the warlock that had once been his boyfriend. And now he was back where he had started, living in the New York Institute with his family and friend, Clary, feeling more than just a little bit sorry for himself. Alec threw himself back so he was lying back down and stared at the ceiling of his familiar bedroom.

Nothing in the room had changed at all, it was still the same old room which he had, had since he and his parents left Idris with Hodge to live here. There was still the same desk over in the far corner of the room, his wardrobe filled with the clothes he had brought from Magnus's apartment, his bed, and the same old window giving him a view of the large city which had become more of a home for him than Idris had ever been, and most of that was thanks to Magnus. Alec's thoughts jolted to a halt as the familiar face of his boyfriend - ex-boyfriend, Alec reminded himself sternly - was pictured clearly in his mind. Alec shut his eyes, forming a barricade against the tears shining in his eyes. He turned to face his bedside table and stared at his mobile which was placed right at the edge of the table, the silver of the case glinted in the moonlight that shone through the gap in the middle of his curtains, showing a faint sliver of the full moon and city of New York. He reached across hesitantly and grabbed his mobile in his right hand, unlocking the main screen he stared at the picture at the front of the phone: it depicted him and Magnus stood with their arms wrapped around each other.

Tears pricked Alec's eyes and he clicked open his contacts list; down near the bottom of the list was Magnus's name. He opened the contact and pressed the call button. Placing the phone by his ear he listened to the dialling tone. After the seventh ring the phone was answered; a voice Alec didn't recognise spoke, "You were told not to call."

"Magnus, I know that, that is you. I just want to talk." Alec said, a sigh followed this and Alec frowned slightly.

"No Alec. Goodbye, and do not call again!" Magnus spoke and the line went dead, leaving Alec alone with his thoughts again. He stood up, untangling himself from his bed sheets, tears fell from his eyes as he blinked, trailing a slow lament down his cheeks. He opened the door to his bedroom and left, walking barefoot down the corridors, listening to his feet slapping against the floor - the same way they had when he had stayed in the apartment with Magnus. He took the left corner and headed down the corridor before sinking down to sit on a low windowsill, placing his head in his palms he closed his eyes.

"No fair! You didn't send me an invitation to this 'Depressed Loners Society'! I thought we were Parabatai?" A voice said from the shadows under a doorway, without looking up Alec lowly toned, "Go away Jace."

"But I'm depressed and lonely too!" Jace protested, taking a seat beside Alec on the windowsill, pushing his blonde fringe back from his face. He was dressed in his blue pyjamas with a hole ripped in the right sleeve, and like Alec, was barefoot. He smiled, resting his head against Alec's shoulder, "What's wrong with wittle Awexander?"

"Shut. Up. Jace." Alec groaned glancing up abruptly; Jace's head almost fell off of Alec's shoulder. "I'm not depressed or lonely."

"Yeah. Sure looks that way, Alexy." Jace smirked, staring intently at his Parabatai. "Right. Jibber on like a duck with a bad throat." He said, grinning. Alec frowned, a smile making the corners of his lips twitch, "A duck with a bad throat?" He questioned.

"Yes. Although I hate ducks myself." Jace smiled, "And I'm the King of Jibberton!"

"Are you drunk?" Alec asked sincerely.

"Do you think I'd be sat here if I was? I'd get an amazing person - myself - to send me back in time to visit a brothel!" Jace laughed a loud infectious laugh which Alec could not help but join in with.

"So come on, tell me what's wrong." Jace asked, with a dramatic roll of his eyes, "If it has anything to do with the dinner that Isabelle made then I know what you're feeling." Alec chuckled, "No, it wasn't Isabelle's cooking."

"Oh," Jace said with mock sadness in his tone as his bottom lip pouted, "just me then, all alone."

"I'm not depressed Jace." Alec sighed, catching on to what Jace meant straight away.

"Yeah, and I'm the Prince of ducks." Jace joked sarcastically, "Tell me or so help me, I will tickle it out of you, and I'm brilliant at tickling!"

"Is that what Clary told you?" Alec sniggered as Jace coughed and choked, his face turning slightly pink. "What?" Jace asked, incredulously.

"I said, is that-?" Alec started.

"No not that!" Jace cried his face turning red now, "Did you just make a joke? Alexander Gideon Lightwood. Lightwood! Making jokes!"

"People change." Alec muttered.

"Perhaps. But I'm comedy king!" Jace muttered, resting his head back against Alec's shoulder and closing his eyes.

"You are drunk!" Alec laughed, shaking his head lightly as he looked down at his Parabatai.

"Yeah, yeah. I love you too Al-." Jace muttered, before his speech got cut off by snores. Alec bit his lip to stifle the bubbling laughter that threatened to overwhelm him as he looked over at Jace, he shifted in his seat slightly reaching beside him and grabbing his mobile that he had unconsciously brought with him. He opened the camera and hurriedly snapped a photo of Jace to show to Isabelle later, before lifting his Parabatai up off the windowsill to carry him back to Jace's room. "By the angel, you're heavy!" Alec groaned as he headed down the corridor to Jace's room.