This chapter might be a bit boring but I hope you guys would enjoy it.

Alec has been in bed for almost two days. The first day he could barely wake up that morning due to the medication he's been taking. Maryse and Robert had been taking care of him alternately so that he won't be home alone. He hated the idea he had to be looked after since he's not a kid but the thought of his health decreasing each day made him less wanting to fight it over.

Alec was seating on the island with a bowl of cereal in front of him. He had been staring at it for a while trying to find an appetite to begin with. The usual morning starts and his family is already up and about with his siblings going to school and his father going to work. Today his mother's turned to take care of him.

"Alec you need to eat something." She said as she leaned across the island to meet Alec's gaze. "Not hungry." Alec said, weaken by the lack of sleeping but he refused to tell his mother about it even though she knew everything about it. "Please." She begs again and Alec sighed. He swallowed his throat dryly and took a spoon of his cereal before slowly bringing it to his mouth.

Maryse smiles at his attempt but when Alec gagged and jumped on his heels towards the sink, she rushed to his side. He gagged out all the content that he forced to take and it came out just as same amount he did. Maryse took a paper towel on her side and passed it on to Alec as she turned the tap on letting the water running, washing the vomit away.

Alec coughed keeping his eyes shut just to make sure he didn't repeat the same action cause it taken a toll on his energy too. Maryse grabbed a stool by the island for Alec to sit on as he leaned forward for balanced. He sat down gripping the sink with both hands and he let his head rested on his arm. "It hurts." He whispered and Maryse rubbed his back for comfort. No words could describe how painful it is for Alec to feel this but there's no words for it to make him feel better.

He was better after he had his meal that night he went out with Jace but somehow after that night, he went to bed and starts trashing claiming he was burning at one time and shivering at the other. It kept going on for the rest of the night and Alec had less and less amount of sleeping.

"Everything okay?" Robert spoke breaking her trance and saw Alec was sitting on the stool in front of the sink with his wife by his side. He went to his side and Alec was covered with sweats. "You have to eat something Alexander." He suggested but Alec didn't answer him instead Maryse stared at him with a worried eye and signed so they could talk somewhere else private about it. They both went to the fridge behind the island and Alec had moved to the living room and rested his body on the couch.

"I think the medication is making him like this." She stated and Robert looked at her equally worried. "But he need those to survive Maryse." He said but Maryse sighed.

"I don't know what to do. The new medication was supposed to help him but he got worsen because of it. I don't want him to be like this. He's like a walking zombie." She stated as her eyes looked towards the living room. She was worried but she couldn't be less encouraging either. 

"Hey Alec, are you okay?" Max asked coming to his side while his parents still talking in the kitchen. He was resting with his legs up on the couch and he has a small wet towel on his forehead, he looked over and saw Max already in his school attire with his bag on his back and ready to go.

He smiled and gesturing for him to sit beside him and he did. "Nothing bud, just a headache." He said and Max looked at him not convincing. But after Jace and Isabelle joined him they were reluctant to leave though Alec insisted that no matter what, they won't be able to use him as an escape for school.

After a while, Maryse came and joined Alec on the couch after Robert left with the rest of his kids, she sat beside Alec stroking his wet forehead as he sighed in comfort.

"What do you want to do today?" She asked and Alec shook his head weakly. "Come on, we need to get you out of this house, it's depressing." She suggested and Alec smiled. "I'm not presentable to people." He replied.

"I'm not asking you to meet the president, just out, do mundane stuffs like normal people did." She suggested and Alec snorted. "What you have in mind?" He asked his mother.

"How about we go groceries shopping, we could get an ice cream, we could get our hair done, then we come home I will cook your favorite food, anything you want." Alec chuckled at the thought of his mother hanging out with him today doing stuffs like that. "Mum, I'm not Isabelle." He added and Maryse laughs.

"You used to come with me during my hair appointment. What difference does it make?" She asked looking offended by his judgement.

"I was five, I had no choice and you exploited me." He answered and Maryse laughed at the thought. Truth is, Alec couldn't deny her even though she didn't ask, she looked hopeful when she suggested the idea and Alec couldn't resist her offer. "Fine," he said and tried to get up.

"We could go to IHOP, we could have our breakfast there first before our shopping." She suggested and Alec nodded. She helped him to his room for him to get dressed and almost half an hour later, they were out from the house.

The drive was quiet, basically Alec wasn't in the mood to talk but hummed responses as she asked him and answers few question that he could. When they reach at the IHOP, Maryse and Alec were seated immediately. It's a weekdays and people already left for work. She ordered a waffle and Alec ordered a chocolate milkshakes with some decent looking omelette. He cursed the American menu for putting everything on top of the food and thought it would make their sales by killing half the people with diseases. He still doesn't find his appetite but at least he tried something of his favorites.

When the first sip of the milkshakes went in, Maryse was worried he would gagged it all out on the table and they had to leave the place and Alec surely won't want to leave the house again but somehow he retained it and slowly sipping for more, it's a relief for her to see Alec poked the egg and starts eating them.

After they finished the breakfast, Alec surprised her for eating half of the egg, Maryse drives to the nearest groceries store in their town and it's where he used to pick up his prescription. The items are organic although a bit pricy but Maryse love it there, she found a satisfaction when she purchased there for her family.

As Alec pushing the car and leaned on the handle with his elbow bend, his mother starts picking the item and put them in the cart. "Have you decided what you want?" She asked as she picked a jar of marmalade and placed them inside the cart, it was Jace's favorite then later she grabbed a jar of peanut butter as it was Max's favorite, and hers.

"How about we just order in. Some Chinese or pizza? You don't have to go all the trouble preparing for food." He suggested and she looked at him almost instantly, "Alec I won't have any trouble in doing anything for my family. Don't ever think that." She said as they stood in middle of the aisle.

"I know it's just you already took care of me, I know you must be tired as well." He said and looked down to his folded arm on the cart. "Alec, it's my duty, I will never take credit for it, but I'm your mother and stopped thinking that way. I love you, all of you." She said as she raised her hand stroking Alec's hair back from his forehead. He smiled at her gestured and nodded, "Okay mum." He said and they both continued the walked.

"Maybe we could make dessert instead of dinner. We could order dinner and you baked your famous butterscotch cake." He suggested and Maryse smiled nodding, "Now you're talking, let's go!" She cheered and Alec followed her.

Bane

"Why did Magnus came home few days ago and destroyed half of my property?" Asmodeus began to question as Charles came into the kitchen. He just got back from his business trip in Seattle and he got in late last night, but he saw the thing damaged and thrown out from his house.

"He had an encountered with some kids at the mall, they called him names, he didn't like it." Charles explained pouring the tea into his cup.

"Names? What kind?" Asmodeus had no clue how embarrassing that is for Magnus yesterday but Charles found it amusing. "Well, for starter, Young Master Bane was almost in a fight, and the kid starts calling him name like an elf, Tyrion-" Asmodeus spilled the tea from his lips upon hearing the word and couldn't hide his smirk.

Unfortunately so does Charles.

"What? My son isn't a dwarf." He claimed and Charles nodded, "Au contraire, the guy is very tall, and devastatingly handsome compared to him." Charles added. "Really?" Asmodeus asked as he wiped the spilled tea on his chin, just in time Magnus walked in the room with a scowled on his face and he slammed his bag on the table. He took a seat next to his father and Charles began pouring his milk in his cereal.

"Someone woke up on a wrong side of the bed." Asmodeus teased and Magnus glared at him. He raised his hand up in defeat not wanting to strain the argument.

"Charles told me what happened the other day. Magnus you know you are on house arrest, that means no fighting, no drinking, no partying none whatsoever." Asmodeus reminded him but the look on Magnus face made him want to change his statement and hide in silenced.

"I didn't fucking do anything! That guy came at me with his idiot brother and his weird sister and cornered me!" He slammed his spoon in the bowl before bringing it into his mouth.

"Cornered you? You're Magnus Bane, you surely didn't expect me to believe that don't you?" His father replied and Magnus began fuming. "Because you didn't let me touch anyone in another fight so that is how it ended! It's all your fault!" He raised his voice slamming the table top and grabbed his bag before running out the house.

He started his car and the first thought was to crash it to the gutter but it's his favorite car and he knew how upset his father would be. He sped on the road and his thought clouded him, the event that day was too embarrassing for him and he didn't even get to defend himself.

He swerved his black matte Audi TT to the side of the road and tried to bring his anger down but failed. He thrown a fit slamming the steering wheel and the door side but after a while he manage to calm down but he didn't want to go to school, not in a condition like this. He didn't want to spend time with those snobby teens at his school that surely only befriended him just for money.

He starts driving and for what it seems like an hour, he finally stopped at one of the local stores near the town. It was some ridiculous groceries store and he has a craving for an ice cream. That's what his mother usually did, every time Magnus went to the kitchen middle of the night, he would see his mother by the island eating a tube of ice cream while crying.

The thoughts made his eyes blurred but he sucked the tears back inside his cold heart and decided to play hooky for the day. He'll explained to his father later but he needed this.

As he entered the groceries shop, it wasn't crowded as he expected, it was calm and quiet and as usual, he felt like he was superior than all of the people here, especially the people who worked here. He had ditched his uniform and wore a white plain shirt that he wore underneath his uniform and changed into his black Vans that he always kept inside his car.

He didn't want to attract any attention since they might report him to his father and the last thing he want is his father disappointed in him again.

As he went to the aisle, he spotted the fridge by the end of it, he walked through the aisle and he heard voices, familiar voices. Too familiar like it was just yesterday he heard it.

He stopped in his track and heard the voices behind the other aisle just next to him and he heard it loud and clear,

"Have you decided what you want?" The female spoke but that's not what Magnus wanting to hear.

"How about we just order in. Some Chinese or pizza? You don't have to go all the trouble preparing for food." That's the voice, the voice of a guy, that guy, the guy who cornered him at the mall few days ago. But somehow this time his voice was slightly slurring, much weaken, huskier, probably he catch a cold or some, Magnus thought but decided to eavesdrop for more.

"I know it's just you already took care of me, I know you must be tired as well." The boy spoke again and by the time, Magnus already reaching up to the end of his aisle to look and he was right, it was that same boy, leaning against the handle of the cart with a woman next to him. They had same hair color, same facial features, probably his mum.

"Alec, it's my duty, I will never take credit for it, but I'm your mother and stopped thinking that way. I love you, all of you." Yup, he was right.

Then she raised her hand and stroke the guy's black hair back from his forehead, they both smiled and somehow it hurts Magnus deeply. He turned and went behind the rack before they could spotted him. His heart clenched at the feeling of having a mother, being pampered, telling him how much they love him and would do everything for him. Cooked his favorite meal instead of his servants.

He exhaled a breath and decided he want to leave and when he turned he crashed with another person and he stumbled back to someone. "Woah there, you okay?" The person said and when he turned he knew the boy would freak, "You!" The boy said pointing at him.

He stood fixing his shirt and looked at him smugly, his mother was no where to be found, so he was glad for it. "What the hell are you doing here?" The boy asked and Magnus scoffed, "It's a groceries store, what else I'm here for? Cars?" He replied sarcastically. He could see the tall boy clenching his jaw in anger but he was satisfied since the wheels has turned.

"What? No servants today to buy you groceries?" He snapped and Magnus was about to make another comment when the boy's mother came behind the rack. "Alec, oh, who is this?" She smiled, why does she has to smile at everyone? Magnus questioned in his thought but chose to reply back the smile by force.

"I'm Magnus." He stated holding out his hand for her and she shook it firmly unlike any other female he met who expect a man to kiss their hands when encounter with a shake.

"I'm Maryse, Alec's mum." She signed as she raised her hand on the boy's shoulder. Why is he so tall that his mother couldn't even reach him. "Are you Alec's friend?" She asked, Magnus wasn't expecting that at all but he didn't want to appear rude to the nice lady so he nodded. He didn't expect to see the boy stunned face too when he said friend.

"Why aren't you at school? Wait, are you one of Alec's friend from the-" she was cut off by him pushing the cart blocking him from his mother.

"No, mum, he's just a friend, we met in basketball match before." He answered for him. That was weird, weird for Magnus to deal with it. Plus basketball? That thing is never his forte, soccer probably, baseball sure, but never basketball. 

"Oh I just thought because he wasn't at school, he's-" again she was cut off by her own son, talk about freedom of speech.

"Nope, not that! We have to go. Bye." He said pushing his mother in the opposite way and Magnus could hear her claiming she wasn't done talking to Magnus and he had to laugh at that. He grabbed his ice cream tub and headed to the cashier counter.

He payed the cashier with his card and went out, decided to glance once more for the tall boy but failed to see him at all.

When he entered his car, he realized that he didn't has his phone with him, he sighed seeing how his day had turned out. He hated that guy initially but now he is more infuriating at his behavior. He turned on the ignition and pulled out the parking lot.

As he was about to make his turn his car collided with another car on his side. "You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Magnus screamed as he opened his car door out. He looked to the side of his car and noticed a scratch on it. If he was fuming, now he's going to explode.

"Are you blind?!" He screamed and the woman walked out from the car. "Excuse me?! You're the one in a wrong lane!" The woman screamed and Magnus turned to see the woman with the tall guy earlier. He was stunned and couldn't figure out what to say next. He was kind of hoping he could screamed at her but he knew how nice she is so he tried to be reason.

"Mum?" The tall guy came out from the car and checked the car before he glanced over at Magnus. "You're so dead." He said and Magnus was startled by his word, "The fuck you said to me?" He raised his voice and the tension in between them grew.

"You don't get to yell at me! You scratched my mum's car!" Alec replied back. "That piece of shit? I could buy five more of those." Magnus smirked scoffing smugly and it raised the guy's temper in peak. "You think you so rich you can buy things around to fix your problem?! Try to buy some manners first!" The guy pushed his chest back and Magnus clenched his fist.

"Boys! Enough!" The guy's mother called in between of them and stood with her arms out holding them both on each side. "Tell me your parent's number so I could contact them." Maryse said standing in front of Magnus with the tall guy towering behind her.

"I don't have my phone with me, I don't remember my dad's phone number." Magnus replied lowering his voice. The guy behind him scoffed mumbling "Liar" but Magnus only could glared at him. 

"What about your mum?" She asked and Magnus shot his eyes at her, his nose flaring as he clenched his jaw at the word. For some reason he couldn't answer her and just shook his head looking down at his feet. "Oh, I-I'm sorry." She said looking back at her son.

"Forget about it." Magnus said and opened his wallet in front of her, "Here." He handed her some amount of money that contained bills of hundreds each, he didn't even bother to count so he just handed her the sum, probably around four to five hundreds. She eyed the money with confusion in her eyes thinking that how this young boy carried such amount of money in his wallet.

"Don't insult my mother like that! We don't want your fucking money." The guy pulled her mother back and swatted Magnus' hand away. "Can't you be anymore rude? I was trying to pay for the damage!" Magnus screamed at him and he tried to make a comeback when his mother pull him back, "Alec! Enough. Just go back into the car, I'll handle this."

His mother is truly a wise woman, he was looking at Magnus up and down in anger, "Relax sweetheart." She said tapping his chest simultaneously rubbing his arm up and down. He could see how his anger lowered but he didn't move a spot.

"Look, I promise to forget about everything if you promise to go back home and tell your pare- your father about what happened. Be honest." She said pushing back the money into Magnus' hand. "He won't care anyway." Magnus mumbled hoping she didn't hear him but she did.

She sighed but then she turned around and headed back to the car, the tall guy eyed her movement not moving from the spot. She came back later with a piece of card in her hand, "Here, this is my card, if you need to contact me, there's my personal number and my office number also my home number. But I trust you not to give it away for some prank call."

How old did she think he is, Magnus thought. He looked back and forth at her and the card but his hand retrieved it slowly. He eyed the white card with her name on it,

Maryse  T. Lightwood

Corporate Lawyer

"Wait, you're a lawyer?" Magnus asked and she nodded with a smile. "Yes I am, but not the kind that can bailed you in the court of law if you end up in jail for killing anyone." She said and Magnus snorted before he chuckled at her jokes. He heard the tall boy scoffed behind her.

"Thank you." He said softly and the lady smiled at her, the soft motherly smiled he yearned for so long. "Mum," the tall guy said behind her and she turned immediately. "Yeah, let's go." She said and looked at Magnus again, "Take care of yourself." She said again before she climbed into her car. The tall guy still looked obnoxious as ever but less interested to look at him.

Magnus decided to climb into his car and drove away with her card still kept inside his wallet. Somehow talking to her is filling the hole inside his heart. If only he could handle the annoying tall guy she called son.