Alec stayed in the room for the rest of the day. He didn't even bothered to get out of the bed or even out from the room. He stayed wrapped up in a blanket the whole day and Jace got worried about his depressive behavior. The fact that he had gone through this struggled before, Jace anticipated that he might be doing it again.

He knocked on the door of Alec's bedroom carrying a tray of food in his hand. He juggled his way in not bothered to wait on Alec to respond to his knock. "Yo! Get up!" He yelled after placing down the tray on the table by the side of his bed and turned on every single light in Alec's bedroom despite it's still sunny outside.

Alec missed his breakfast and lunch and now Jace didn't want his brother to fell ill in starvation. Although, he knows Alec could go on for days not eating because he felt his depression grew stronger. Every single meal he took felt like a punishment for him. He felt that every single taste of happiness in him were not well deserved and he will go deeper into the depth of his darkness if he had too.

Alec groaned when Jace turned the lights on and flipped the curtain opened before he ripped off the blanket from his body. "Fuck off!" He yelled at him and tried to grab the blanket back but Jace snatched it back threw them on the ground. "Get up!" He barked and Alec rolled his eyes at him before he laid back on the bed with his back facing Jace. "Get out Jace." He says before putting his pillow over his head.

Jace snatched the pillow from Alec but he gripped it harder so it started a tug of war between them both. "Let go Alexander! You know I'm stronger!" Jace says but Alec held the end of the pillow with both of his hands tighter, "DO NOT CALL ME THAT! I don't care if you're stronger, you always cheat anyway." Alec says and he can see the smirk on Jace's face. Little did Jace knew Alec still got some skills in him when he nudged him on his abdomen and they both fell on the floor. Jace fought equally for Alec's punches and he knew not to hurt him since Alec is not a Shadowhunter anymore but Alec still had few tricks under his sleeves.

"You always cheat! Ever since we were a kid. You just too arrogant to deny it!" Alec says fighting Jace's grip and Jace smirked grew wider before he flipped them both, wrapping his legs around Alec's waist and gripped Alec's neck with his arm from behind choking him. "It's in my gene brother. You knew that, we're family." He said in his ear tightening his grip harder but he feared Alec won't back down. "Tap off Alec." He warned him but Alec denied his words and tried to fight his way out of his grip but failed miserably. He is weak from lack of sleep and not eaten properly for the last few days.

"Tap out you bastard or I will knock you out!" Jace told him again and Alec can see how Jace's grips over his neck had cut out his oxygen supplies that made him felt deserved for this type of pain. But soon he taps Jace's arm and he released him before they both laid on the floor side by side with Alec coughed his lungs out for air.

Jace pants in his breath turning his head to the side to see Alec laid there on the floor next to him staring at the ceiling above him and he saw a single tear fell right on his temple as he kept staring. "Alec." He called but Alec didn't say any words but he let Jace wrapped his arm around him and pulled him for a hug. He laid his head over Jace's chest and Alec's hand wrapped around his stomach. Jace felt him shuddering in tears as he wrapped his arm tighter around Alec's body.

"I know you miss him. He meant everything to you and Clary." Alec sniffed wiping his tears hurriedly before he unwrapped himself from Jace and stood up from the floor. Jace followed him when he saw Alec stood and sat himself on the edge of the bed leaning his head over the bed post. Jace can see Alec is in a mess right now with his curly dark hair ruffled uncombed, his sunken dark circled eyes, his hollowed cheek and his pale lips. He looks like the old Alec before he was back from the dead. He reckoned this day would come eventually and he tried not to let Alec worsen.

He sighed taking his seat next to him before his eyes landed on the tray next to him. He grabbed the piece of apple cuts and handed Alec a piece. He smiled before he took it from his hand and took a small bites feeling the sweetness runs down his throat.

"I dreamt of him." He starts and it caught Jace's attention. "I know it was stupid and some daft fantasy but it was nice seeing his face. I miss that face." Alec smiled in his tears. "Told me to be strong for Blue. How the hell am I supposed to do that when I barely can take care of myself." He tossed the apple back on the plate next to Jace and he sighed watching Alec's gesture.

"Because he knows you are not alone. You have us. Leaned on us. We can help remember?" Jace nudged him on his shoulder and Alec nods weakly. "I'm trying." He whispered back and Jace grabbed the plate of spaghetti's and handed it to Alec and he groaned scrunching his face in disgust at the food before he pushed the plate back.

"Eat! Or I'll shove it in you one way or the other." Jace says and Alec groaned again. "Can we have pizza? I don't feel like eating this." Jace smiled placing the plate back on the tray before he stood. "You bet! Come on." He pulled Alec by his elbow and dragged him out of the bedroom with smile on his face.

.

After their little brotherly bond over pizza, they both headed back to the institute and the moment they stepped in, Alec was already searching for Blue and he knows exactly where he is. Isabelle had been the constant companion with Blue since they are back at the institute and she never mind being his guardian before Alec found his footing again. She loves him to death and they all knew she would die for him.

Alec heard her voice echoing in the training room and saw her holding Blue on her hips introducing him to the weapons displayed before them on the table. She told him the name of the weapon one by one and he blabbed whatever words he could mimicked from Izzy's voice and she cheered in each one of them. Alec smiled leaning his body against the doorframe listening to their conversation. Somehow this brought back memories of him doing it to her when they were little.

"This is your papa's favorite. It's his most loyal companion in battle. He won't go anywhere without it, even to the bathroom." She whispered the last words and Alec laughs a little. "His bow and arrow actually belongs to your daddy. They trade it because daddy saves me and this is his price. Forever it will be theirs." Izzy explained and when Blue heard her word, he blabbed more, "Da-dy." She saw him pointed at the ceiling above them and wonders why he reacted that way.

Alec lowered his gaze to the floor of the institute remembering the time Magnus had visited them at home with the floating orbs and the way Blue pointed at him. He envy Blue for his ability to see him despite he is physically not here right now.

"Papa!" Blue screamed seeing Alec leaned against the door and literally jumped in Izzy's embrace trying to get to him. Alec walked further closing their gap but Izzy stopped him the moment he is few feet away from them. "Wait, wait. Watch this." She says placing Blue on the floor before he tried to balance himself on his small feet.

Alec crouched with his palm raised waiting for Blue to take the first step and luckily Isabelle was behind him when he almost stumbled on his back but he gained back his balanced and starts stepping forward. Little by little he made his way and they were cheering at him to keep on moving and finally Blue reached Alec and he carried him up and tossed him a little in the air before catching him. Magnus hated when Alec did that especially when he is tall enough to throw their son up in the ceiling and Alec always dismissed him seeing how excited Blue got when he does it.

"You grew right before me. I'm so sorry I wasn't here." Alec held him close before kissing him repeatedly on his cheek. "He did grew right before us and I feel like if I blinked he will be holding his first weapon already." Izzy says as she stepped closer to her brother. Alec smiled at the thought of Blue wielding a sword in his chubby hands and the thought scares him a little.

"Are you okay?" She asks and Alec returned his gaze towards his sister and shook his head. "I don't know Iz, I tried to be." He says and she can hear the break in his voice. "You don't have to pretend Alec. You know that. We are all here to help." Alec nods holding Blue in his arm as he played with Alec collar. He exhaled a breath before kissing Blue on his cheek again and thanked Izzy for looking after him.

.

"I'm going home." Alec says as soon as he stepped into his mother's office. She held an iPad in her hand and placed it down on the table with her face contorted in worries of his decision. "Alec, you are welcome to stay here anytime. I don't think being alone right now is good for you." Maryse tried to reason with him. She circled the table before closing her gap with her son holding her grandson in his arm.

She smiled holding on to Blue's small hands as Alec stares at them. "I need to face my reality soon mum. Being here doesn't change the fact that Magnus is not coming back anytime soon, I need to be strong for him. For my family." Alec says and Maryse can hear the sadness in his voice. She stares deeply into his eyes before she nodded at him.

"Okay. But just so you know I'm coming to check on you every day until I'm sure that you are well." She told him and Alec smiled weakly before raising his arms on her shoulder and pulled her for a hug. "Thank you mama." He whispered kissing her on her forehead with a sigh of relief.

.

It took Alec all his strength to step inside his home. As soon as he did, he placed Blue in his playpen and saw how cleaned his house had been. He smiled knowing it was probably his mother's reason for his house to be clean this way. She knew it would be hard for Alec to do this on his own without Magnus.

He sighed plopping himself down on the couch staring at the frame wall before him and his eyes caught at his photos of him and Magnus on their wedding day. He remembers the day was purely chaos with Blue's throwing a tantrum and the rest of his family is in mess, his venue was overbooked and they ended up getting married in the institute instead but with help of Magnus and his family, they'd manage to got through the day.

"How will I do this without you?" He whispered letting his tears fell on his cheek as he stares at Magnus' picture before him. His eyes turned towards Blue in playpen staring at him crying - again. He immediately wiped his tears not letting Blue sees him cries and he promised him that he would be stronger from now on.

"I'm okay. We will be." Alec says staring at Blue's face as he continued to play with his toys ignoring Alec's sniffing his tears on the couch.

.

"We need to help Magnus. I can't see Alec like this." Jace starts after they all gathered themselves around the war room. Around the table, Jace was join by his sister, Max, Clary and Simon. They all eyed each other considering what he had suggested is risky enough to get them either killed or severely injured.

"This is suicide. Even if we did make it out alive, mum will kill us as soon as she finds out." Max says and Jace sighed. "Which is why you are going to stay here and guard. If she asks, you will give her excuses." Jace says and Max clicked his tongue at him and crossed his arm around his chest. "Why do I always got stayed behind?" He asks. "Because we can't afford to have history repeated itself. Got it?" Izzy snide comments made them snorted at her and Jace returned his gaze back to the table before him. "How did we exactly do this?" Simon asks and Jace sighed again pinching his nose bridge.

"Clary had created a new rune that can tethered us to the Downworlder. So each of you find a Downworlder and we will regroup here tonight. Let's just hope we will find Magnus in time before Mum realized we are gone." Jace says and began to dismiss their meeting.

Izzy had Meliorn on phone to come at the institute while Jace had Caterina and they are set for the plan. Izzy will tether to Meliorn, Clary will tether to Simon while Jace to Caterina. They all could sense the fear in each and every one of them knowing that their plan isn't exactly a strong one but it was the only thing they could do to save Magnus. After everything that happened, Magnus deserved to be save and they owed him that much.

As the midnight sets, they gathered themselves at the graveyard watching Clary drew the pentagram as the door of their portal to Edom. She had drew the rune on each of them to tether to each other and as the rune glows, they can sense the bind between each other.

"It's now or never. We might get separated but focus on our goals. Find Magnus but be very careful, down there isn't like a walk in the park. It's hell filled with unwanted souls and sufferings. We have to limit our time so we won't be stuck there." Clary warned them and they all listened to her attentively nodding at her every words.

The moment she activate the pentagram, it gleamed in bright light and one by one stepped into the circle before disappearing into thin air. Max witnessed each of his siblings made the sacrificed again but this time, he is old enough to understand that this is crucial for them, for his brother's sake. The moment all of them had disappeared into the circle, the night is normal again and there is nothing but darkness that accompanied him in the cemetery before he decides to go back into the institute hoping his mother won't find out about this.