Magnus grabbed the railings of the staircase, climbing up. The construction part of the building was covered in various, almost transparent, sheets, the dust settling on the floor, but making up small spirals as he crept over the floor, quiet as a cat. Hodge was here, somewhere, and they were on the third floor now. There was little chance that he'd have jumped. So he must've still been in here, unless there was another way down and out.

He moved, quick and steady, taking out his gun and loading it with a soft click. The knife in his boot announced itself with the heaviness of the metal and for once, Magnus felt comfort in it. He had more than a bullet to protect himself. He thought about Simon, who was probably dead, although he wished it wasn't true. Jace, who had been close to being dead, and might not make it. He thought about Clary and Isabelle, who would never be the same again, should their boyfriends die. And then he thought about Alec. Alec, who was the protector of this family. The one who would kill, and did, for his team, his friends, his siblings, his home. Magnus's breathing was shallow as he sneaked around another wooden beam.

He couldn't bare to think how Alexander would be feeling, after all this. He had to believe, that him leaving wouldn't leave an all too painful wound behind. Alexander would be fine, he'd forget about Magnus soon enough, given time. Still, there was that little voice, a glimmer of light as hope rose in him. That maybe, just maybe, he could stay and be there for Alec. 

There was a crack and Magnus stilled, crouching down. He heard shuffling - very, very quiet, barely audible. He closed his eyes, listening. Then, he rose and as quick as lightning, he took the blade, throwing it into the direction of the sound. He saw Hodge, the knife buried in his right arm and the man growled, eyes looking up at Magnus. He smirked, pulling the knife out, a painful expression on his face. "Don't move." Magnus said, voice echoing on the empty floor. His gun was pointed at the injured man, who just laughed.

"You think you've won? After what you did to my family, you won't get away, Magnus Bane." Hodge spoke, moving slightly backwards. Magnus took another two steps towards him. "Stop. Moving." he said through gritted teeth. Hodge smirked. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Magnus then said. "And I don't care. You've killed people and you've betrayed Alexander and his family. For that, you'd deserve to die. But I know that's not what he would want. So, if you don't want a bullet hole in your body - or several - I suggest you come calmly." Magnus stated, eyes fixed on the man. Hodge's eyes seemed maniacal as they turned angry and his finger shook as he pointed it towards Magnus.

"You killed my brother. Hugo Starkweather. You murdered him, cold-blooded, 5 years ago in Spain!" he yelled and Magnus narrowed his eyes at him. "What are you talking about?" he asked. He knew he shouldn't be stalling like this, but Hodge seemed to be as unstable as they come. Maybe if he got to tell his story, Magnus would be able to talk him into surrendering. "Don't play dumb!" Hodge shouted, his face now red from anger. His clothes were torn and dusty, just like Magnus's, but his hands were bloody. Magnus tried not to think about whose blood it was. Then, something clicked in his mind.

He remembered his year in Spain and his missions. Starkweather had been the name of the mob boss, who'd interfered as Magnus tried to end a gang war in a small slum near Madrid. He had friends there, good friends and together they had almost ended the gang war with almost no bloodshed. Until Hugo and his mob attacked both parties, wanting the power over both gangs and to control that part of the town. Magnus could almost see the man in front of him - he did look like Hodge in many ways. Only his eyes had been a dim green, not a cold gray as Hodge's. Magnus had no choice but to take him down, when he almost blew up the whole neighbourhood. There were children there, innocent people. He still felt sorrow when he thought of the lives lost that day.

"He wasn't exactly a pleasant person, now, was he? He was a mob boss, who was only interested in control and power, and killing innocent people. I had no choice but to end his life, to save many others." Magnus said, reasoning with Hodge, who almost growled at him. He was still trying to understand how he'd never put the two and two together. But then he remembered that Hugo hadn't gone by any family name whilst Magnus had been in Spain, therefore he couldn't have made the connection. Magnus's finger on the trigger moved slightly. He had to be very careful. Hodge took another two steps back, Magnus following forward. The man stopped, eyes on Magnus. They seemed merciless. "You killed my brother. He was the only family I had after my father passed away." he said and then, Magnus could hear shouting from downstairs. In the distance, they could hear the sirens of the police forces. Of course they would come. There'd been enough shooting to wake the entire neighbourhood.

Another shout and Magnus recognized Alec's voice, coming nearer. Hodge smirked. "Looks like the cops are almost here. I'd kill you, if I'd have my gun, but don't worry. You won't be getting away so easily. I know where to find you." Hodge said and he raised his hand. Magnus caught a glimpse of small remote in his hand and before he could do anything, Hodge had pressed the button. A wave of electrical shock went through his body and Magnus fell to his knees. He gasped, falling over and realizing that he was standing on plates that were armed with electric wires. So that's why Hodge had been backing up - Magnus had been stepping into a trap and he hadn't even noticed, too engrossed in the man's tale. Rookie mistake.

Magnus felt the electricity stop, but his skin was slightly burning, his heart beating out of rhythm. Nevertheless, he raised his head from the floor and saw no one. Hodge was gone. He wanted to shout, but instead settled with gritting his teeth angrily. He heard Alec shouting his name, his footsteps echoing on the floor. "I know where to find you". Magnus heard the words on replay inside his head. The police sirens were now so close, they hurt his ears, which were slightly ringing. He groaned, rising to his feet. He looked around, spotting a window. He ran to it, realizing it led to an unfinished balcony, the metal railing ending half-way. He yanked at the window, trying to open it, but it wouldn't budge. He sighed, stepping back and aimed. The gunshot made his head hurt and his ears ring even louder, the shattering glass adding to the cacophony of sounds in his head. He groaned again, trying to see through the blurriness. His skin still tingled.

He had just opened the zipper, removing his jacket as Alec stumbled into the room, eyes wild and searching around the room. The rifle in his hands was familiar to Magnus. It held the same tranquilizing darts as the one he had pointed at Magnus the first time they'd met. How fitting that he would choose that weapon, probably in hopes to use it on Hodge, but would now be pointing it at Magnus once again.

"Where's Hodge?" Alec asked, rifle still pointing to the floor, eyes scanning the room and landing on Magnus. He frowned. "What-" he asked and Magnus shook his head. "He got away. I'm sorry, he tricked me. I wanted to help you get him. And I couldn't do that, so I'm so sorry, Alexander." Magnus said, his eyes searching the hazel ones. Alec's features softened, they weren't harsh or stern, but more worried then anything else. "Did he hurt you?" he asked and Magnus laughed slightly. "Yes, but I've endured worse. Alexander, you should be mad at me for letting him go." Magnus stated and Alec tilted his head, almost in confusion. "Of course I'm not mad. I'm disappointed, but we'll find him. He won't get away with this, that I promise. We just have to figure out where he might be hiding." Alec said and Magnus closed his eyes for a moment.

"Hodge wants revenge. He wants me dead." he told Alec and the hunter frowned. "Yes, Jace said something about that. Why?" he asked and Magnus smiled sadly. "I killed his brother." he replied and saw Alec's eyes narrow slightly. The hunter seemed hesitant. "I'm sure you had your reasons." he finally said and Magnus laughed joylessly. "Always assuming the best of people. You shouldn't." Magnus told him, edging closer to the broken window. Alec's observant eyes caught the movement. "Magnus, what are you doing?" he asked, slight confusion and panic in his voice. Magnus smiled again. "Hodge will always look for me, until he finds me. He and Jonathan have already brought so much pain towards your family, along with Valentine, and it's all my fault. I can't stay. If i stay, I'll be putting you all in danger. Putting you in danger." Magnus said, his voice smaller now. His heart was twisting in his chest painfully, along with his headache it was like torture. But he resisted the urge to fall into a heap on the floor.

Alec stared at him in disbelief. "What?" he asked. His voice was now cutting, like a knife, urgent. Magnus could also see the hurt on his face, and that was the worst part. "That's not- We can find him, before he finds you. Magnus, you don't have to- You can't leave." Alec said and now his voice sounded desperate. Magnus shook his head, moving to the balcony and Alec took a few steps towards him, automatically raising his gun. There was a harshness in his eyes. Magnus raised his hands, along with the gun he was holding. He let it drop to the floor. "Alexander, I'm not staying. If you have to shoot me, then shoot me. But I'm not staying. I'm not letting anyone get hurt because of me, not anymore." he said quietly.

"That's just stupid. Magnus, that's not a reason to leave. I can't let you leave." Alec said and Magnus watched as the hunter held him on gunpoint, uncertain and with sadness in his eyes. The cool night air around Magnus was soothing his aching body and head. But his heart couldn't be fixed. He shook his head, a small smile on his face. "Come on, now, Alexander. I don't want our parting to be sad. It should be a happy occasion. Look on the bright side, you finally get rid of me." Magnus joked, his throat tightening. Alec stared at him. "I don't want to get rid of you." he whispered and Magnus felt his eyes grow watery. He swallowed.

He felt the metal of the balcony underneath his hands and he looked down. The ground seemed dauntingly far. "Magnus, you've nowhere to go. Just stay, stay with us and we can help you." Alec pleaded but Magnus shook his head, staring at the hunter. He had fallen for him, just like that. And just like that, he had to end it. If only to keep him safe. "I just want you to know, that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You made me realize, that I may not be the person I thought I was - I can still choose whether to be good or bad. And I want to be a good man, I do. Just take care of your family, Alexander. I hope that they all recover, that they are well and that none of this will come back to haunt you." Magnus said, smiling now. He didn't want this to be a sad ending to a sad story. He wanted to have a good last memory. He would've wanted to kiss him, to taste Alec's lips one last time, but he knew if he'd do that, he'd never let go.

"This isn't fair." Alec said, moving closer. Magnus could see he was fighting with himself, whether to shoot Magnus or not. The conman liked to think that he wouldn't. That he at least knew the hunter that much, to know that he wouldn't shoot Magnus, even if to make him surrender quietly. "Life isn't fair, darling. I thought I told you that." Magnus stated, grasping the railing. Alec shook his head. "You didn't." he replied, now a small smile on his lips, too, even though his eyes still conveyed sadness. Magnus hummed. "Huh, well I did now. Take care, Alexander." Magnus said and he moved, swift and graceful.

His face shone in the moonlight as he sat on the railing of the balcony, a shade of chocolate skin gleaming and his hair flowing in the wind. He smiled at the other man, eyes glowing, like a cat's in the dark. Alec made a move towards Magnus, still holding him on gunpoint, but Magnus smirked and pushed himself off the balcony, waving with one hand. Alec ran towards the edge in shock, only to look over it and see the man flying through the air like a bird in his wingsuit. He couldn't help but smile - this one could possibly be the one that got away.

***

A month later

"Hey, Alec, come to the ops center, I've got something to show you." Isabelle's voice rang through his earpiece and he plopped down on the mat, letting go of the beam where he had been doing his chin-ups. He dried himself with the towel, humming a Queen song and grabbed the bottle of water. 

When he reached downstairs, he saw Jace sitting on the table, while Isabelle was talking to him, a smile on her face. The blonde's face bore many scars, permanent ones inflicted by Jonathan, but other than that, he had almost fully healed. His wounds had almost killed him, but the police had managed to arrive just in time with the ambulance. Lucky for Alec, he always had their fake ID's with them. Acting as 'FBI agents' who had been on a mission to stop the criminal Jonathan Morgenstern and his father, Valentine Morgenstern, they were rushed to the hospital. Jace's face was now more tiresome, but his eyes were alight with happiness - he was healthy again, and so was his family.

Isabelle's face was still creased with worry, the days taking a toll on her as she visited the hospital almost two times a day every day of the week. "How's Simon?" Alec asked as he entered the room, pressing a kiss on his sister's temple. The brunette had fallen into a coma after being shot. the doctors could save him, but couldn't predict when he'd be out of the coma. After two weeks, Simon showed signs of life again. He had been extremely lucky - the bullet wound hadn't damaged any vital organs and hadn't turned him immobile, although his nerves were not quite the same. He had to have physical therapy every week, thrice a week, to ensure mobility and to gain back his strength in his legs and arms. Other than that, he was on the mend. Alec would forever be grateful to the man, for saving his sister - Alec wasn't sure if Isabelle would have made it, like Simon did.

"He is still grumpy, because they won't allow him to wander around the corridors for more than 10 minutes. He's so sick of lying in bed all day. Who could blame him, really. But the doctors said if all goes to plan, he'd be out by the end of the month!" she exclaimed, her tired voice now a bit more enthusiastic and Jace whooped. "That's awesome!" he said. He and Simon had really bonded over the fact that Simon had saved Isabelle. Along with Clary, they were also frequent guests of his, playing cards and board games and sometimes Jace would even sneak his playstation to the ward, hook it up and they'd play games together, until Clary came over and scolded her boyfriend for keeping Simon up so late.

Alec visited as well, of course, but he was more occupied than ever. He was determined to find Hodge. He hadn't forgotten about Magnus, even though he knew he should've. He'd tried, and failed miserably. After a week he had to admit, that it wasn't just feelings of affection he had felt for the conman. He'd fallen in love with him, which is why he took it upon his mission to capture the traitor Hodge. On top of that, he had to take over the Institute and run it. The other hunters seemed pleased by the change in leadership, for Alec had always been a friend of theirs and an authoritative figure. In return, Alec changed a few rules, making their life a little easier and safer.

"That's great, Iz. Do you need me to come and pick him up with you?" Alec asked, hugging his sister as Jace joined them. Releasing her brothers, Isabelle smiled, much happier than before. "No, that's okay, Clary said she'd come with me." she replied. The redhead had been shaken up about her family turning out to be criminals and psychopaths, naturally. Despite that, she mourned their deaths. They were still her family, good or bad. Alec could relate to that, thinking of his own parents. After the incident, Clary had been tending to Jace, almost as much as Isabelle had been at Simon's side. Both girls were overprotective and nurturing and Alec could see that the guys were enjoying it. When Jace started to feel better, Clary had started to train to be a proper hunter herself. She wanted to be able to protect herself and accompany his boyfriend on their missions. She was currently visiting Simon, however, as Isabelle informed them.

"So, what did you need me here for?" Alec asked, eyeing them. Jace had a weird look on his face, the grin almost that of a Cheshire cat's. Isabelle's eyes glinted as she clicked over to the chair behind the screens. "Well, firstly, I've got new information on Hodge." she said and Alec moved closer, excited. "Yeah? What is it?" he asked. He couldn't wait to get that son of a bitch. He still couldn't believe the man had betrayed them. After all, he practically raised them in the Institute.

"I found out he crossed the border into Mexico. A slip up from the old man, you could say. The camera caught him, but what really helped me out were the digital fingerprints that they took at the border. Fake name or not, you can't change your prints. That's how I found him." she said, a smug smiled on her face. Alec hugged her from behind, eyes on the screen as he smiled victoriously. "You are brilliant!" he said, inhaling the sweet flowery perfume. Isabelle chuckled. "Yeah, I know. But guess what else I found?" she asked, even more excited now and Alec frowned, when he saw Jace's amused face. "What?" he asked, glancing between the two.

"Looks like Hodge has a tail on him." Isabelle stated. "He's good, we already knew that, so it was a big surprise when I spotted him. But then again, he's changed quite a lot, so maybe he was hoping we wouldn't recognize him. Even so, the scan I did on his eyes confirmed the match." Isabelle said, pulling up the camera of the same border patrol, dated just a day later than Hodge's. Alec squinted his eyes. The man he was looking at was wearing a long, brown trench coat looking clothing, a darker brown scarf over his face that was covered with a beard and more hair than Alec could ever grow. Dark hair were messy and reminded Alec of his own. The brown eyes that looked into the camera, however, were familiar to him, just as the crinkles at the corner of his eyes were. The last thing that Alec recognized were the rings on his fingers that clutched a small item that looked to be a passport.

"You're boyfriend is not as sneaky and stealthy as he thought he was." Jace announced, now fully grinning. Isabelle was also smiling proudly, staring at Alec.

Alec's breath got caught as he stared at the screen. He hadn't been aware of how much he had missed looking into those eyes. Magnus looked completely different, but yet he was so familiar. Alec didn't even notice he had begun to smile as he stood up, walking closer to the screen.

"Magnus." he whispered, delighted and amazed at the same time. "When do you want to leave?" Jace asked, voice the same tone it always was when he was addressing Alec as the team leader - ready to take orders. Alec turned, seeing Isabelle and Jace both stand side by side, eyes determined, smiles on their faces but still professional, awaiting his orders.

Alec took one more glance at the screen and then stared back at his siblings, hands going behind his back. A soft smile made it's way onto his face.

"We move at dawn."

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A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! You have reached the end of this Malec book. WOOHOO. I honestly didn't think anyone would be reading this, because when I started this, it had very little views and I was thinking of not continuing it. But then, suddenly, I had a small group of fans (you know who you are, my most frequent commentators) who wanted me to continue, so I did. I hope you liked the ending, I hope this book turned out to be something you enjoyed. As I said, I had a thought to make this into my very first trilogy. I am not sure, when I will be releasing the first chapters of the new book, but the title will be "The one that came back".  As soon as the first chapters are done, I will notify you and will also announce it here.

It's been a blast, honestly, I love you all, it means so much to me that you've read, commented and voted on this book. I LOVE YOU ALL! xxxxxxxx