Crash! Boom! Bang!

Fallen

The drive was short but long enough for Alec to see his entire time with Magnus flash before his eyes with the same speed as the street lights outside the car. In the distance, he heard sirens, and they reminded him of the last time he had heard them. Then it was Jace, now it was Magnus. Had Alec lost him before he could ever have him? The thought made his heart hammer so hard in his chest that he was certain it was going to crack his ribs. He had fought this, he had fought it so hard but all the reasons he thought he had to fight it now seemed so meaningless. In hindsight, it seemed ridiculous to have fought it at all. It was inevitable, he was falling for Magnus and he should have shouted it from the rooftops when he still had the chance.

The streets outside Asmo Corp were chaotic. There were ambulances, police cars, and of course a huge crowd of bystanders standing outside the roped-off area. Canvasing the scene he noticed the media vans as well. He didn't pay them much attention, but he wasn't surprised they were there so quickly. Magnus and Asmo Corp were a big deal. He just hated them. They were vultures waiting eagerly for someone they could feast on. His eyes then registered something that made the hair on the back of his neck rise before his brain could fully understand what his eyes were seeing.

Sitting on the curb, with a blanket around their shoulders and a cup of some hot beverage in her hands, was Izzy. Alec froze, not believing his eyes. Then guilt flooded him, he hadn't even thought about the possibility of her being here. His mind had been set on Magnus and only Magnus. Alec closed the distance between them and kneeled beside her. "Izzy," he murmured, "are you okay?"

Izzy looked at him, her eyes watery and sad. The always spot-on eyeliner was smudged and he could see that she had been crying. "I'm fine Alec. I was inside the building, I was never in any danger."

Alec leaned forward, embracing her softly. He stroked her hair reassuringly and let her familiar smell ground him. The last couple of months everyone he's ever truly loved had been in the crossfire because of their relation to him. The guilt and the fear were consuming him. "Izzy, I'm so sorry," he sniffled.

"You have nothing to be sorry about big brother. I need to tell you-" her voice broke and he could feel that she was fighting back the tears.

"Izzy, do you know where Magnus is?"

"That's what I need to tell you. I saw him when I got out of the building. I couldn't reach him, there were so many people around him. He was on the ground, he wasn't moving Alec. There was blood too," Izzy sobbed and Alec's heart stopped. He couldn't be too late. He let go of Izzy and stood up.

"I need to find him."

"I'm not sure he's still here you know, he might have been taken to a hospital."

"Doesn't matter, I'll find him. I need to. I can't lose him, not before-" he couldn't finish the sentence and his voice got caught in his throat.

"Alec, look at me." He met Izzy's eyes. She looked at him with nothing but love and pride in her eyes, very similar to the way she had looked at him that day in the changing room. It made Alec breathe a little easier. "I understand, you don't have to tell me. You'll get your chance, I have faith in you." There was more than just the words she used, it was the way she said it that silently supported him without hesitation. Alec took her hand and squeezed it lightly, hoping the touch could somehow express the words his mouth couldn't manage to bring forth.

Alec let go of Izzy and turned to search for Magnus. He didn't have a clue where he should start as his mind wasn't working as rational as it used to. He was making his way through the crime scene, his steps quick but still wary and his mind spinning. Seconds felt like an eternity and as he came close to the CSI team and saw the blood on the ground a whimper almost escaped him. He had worked so hard for years to keep treacherous feelings out for this very reason. The agony of not knowing, of losing someone close to you. He had experience with that, but he had never talked about Max with anyone.