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who: Shadowhunter cast!
what: Max wakes up in the hospital and his family comes to get him, catch all for anything else other canonmates want to do!
when: After they've all arrived
where: Hospital, other places TBD
warnings: SPOILERS for the book series and probably spoilers for the Shadowhunters TV show too just to be on the safe side, also mentions of violence

This was not where Max had been expecting to wake up. He hadn't been surprised to wake up in a hospital, but after the video he'd been shown, an alternate universe was definitely a surprise. It wouldn't be too much to wrap his head around, given time, since he'd read plenty of books with things like that in them and his family fought demons. He might have even been geeking out about it if he hadn't been so worried about his family. The last few things he remembered were demons invading Alicante, Alec running off to go find Aline, and Izzy going to get her stele while leaving him with Sebastian... Sebastian who had attacked him with a hammer. He remembered hearing someone coming up behind him, turning and seeing Sebastian swinging it at him, then everything going black. The next thing he'd known, he was waking up here.

He'd asked about his family after he'd been shown the video and while they hadn't known anything about most of them, they did mention an Alec Lightwood that had arrived at the same time he did and asked if they were related since they had the same last name. Once Max confirmed that was indeed his brother, the person had said they would send someone to go find Alec and tell him Max was here. While he'd been waiting, they'd asked him some questions and had him do some bioscan. When they'd asked about any special abilities he had that would be biologically-based, he'd been reluctant to answer at first but had eventually given in, holding onto his stele tightly so they wouldn't take it away.

They hadn't and Max was now holding it and the toy soldier he'd been gripping when Sebastian had attacked him tightly in his hands, waiting in a chair in the room he'd woken up in while looking out the window. His glasses were okay but he'd been given a new pair of clothes to wear, having been told his old ones had been destroyed. He might have also enjoyed the view more if he still wasn't worrying about his family. He hoped Alec would be able to tell him more about what had happened.

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Even though Alec had known that he needed to see his brother as soon as possible, he knew that he couldn't go into the room as soon as he arrived. It was too much even after the doctors had explained that Max was safe and there would be no brain damage, he'd still needed time to process what had happened. The scientist he'd spoken to in Wayward Pines had given him hope that it was possible that Max was safe but after grieving for months, attending his funeral, it took time for it to become real.

Magnus had held him while he shook, reassuring him that he was there for him even though Alec was sure that he didn't remember what had happened in Idris. Jace had seen confused but he looked like he was fresh from a battle or brawl so he might still be recovering from injuries. Alec worried about Izzy not being there, but wherever she was, he had to trust that she could take care of herself.

When he was sure he could look at his brother without breaking the promise they'd all made not to tell Max how serious the injuries had been, Alec went into the room while his husband and parabatai waited.

It hurt to see him again. The ache of loss and relief made it almost impossible to breath as he moved into the room. His glasses and clothes were different, but Max looked exactly like he remembered. If he hadn't witnessed too many details that were impossible for him to imagine, Alec would wonder if this was some kind of trick. It'd happened before but that 'reality' had included every ideal instead of a hospital, Izzy missing, and a Jace that looked like he'd been mauled by werewolves. "Hey, Max." He tried to say more but the words were caught in his throat with the tears he refused to shed in front of his little brother.

They'd barely gotten over the shock of realizing they were no longer in Wayward Pines when Alec received a phone call asking if he was related to Max Lightwood. After the medic gave a brief description of the boy that was being treated, he knew that it was his brother. Grabbing Magnus by the arm, he hurriedly explained about Max, that they were needed at the hospital.

He couldn't really answer questions since the medic hadn't said much other than Max was out of danger and they could see him soon. It wasn't until Alec had spoken to the doctors, realizing that Max had somehow arrived moments before his death that Alec started to react to the news.

When the doctor left, he began to shake, making strange noises that he didn't recognize. It was a strange mixture of words and sobs that choked him until he wasn't sure he could breathe. The scientist he'd spoken to in Wayward Pines had said that they had taken people from different times and Alec had hoped that Max was alive, but it wasn't something that had sunk in.

Not until he was sitting near Max's room, far enough away that his brother wouldn't hear if he broke down. One arm around Magnus, he focused on keeping his breathing steady until he could finally push words past the grief and hope that was strangling him. "I never thought I'd see him again."

Edited 2017-07-07 04:44 (UTC)

The moment Alec disappeared behind the door Jace exhaled a slightly shaky breath, feeling the same loss all over again. It hadn't been that long ago, holding Alec in his arms and begging him not to leave. But he couldn't let the weight of everything break him when Alec was hurting so deeply Jace could feel it as if it were his own pain. He'd never seen Alec so upset before.

Not like this.

Turning away from the door made the physical pain in his side flare almost as strongly as the emotional pain he could still feel from Alec and he hesitated only a moment before looking for a place to sit and wait. He was not leaving. Not again. Only death itself could take him away from Alec.

He's not ignoring your presence, Magnus, he's just trying to ignore everything else at the moment. Including the whole walking through a portal to a science fiction land. All the stories are true. When he'd said those words to Clary he hadn't imagined how true they could be beyond the world he knew.

Finding a spot against the wall, Jace uncharacteristically slid all the way down to the floor and leaned his head back.

Edited 2017-07-09 01:54 (UTC)

Max looked up when the door opened, half expecting it to be a nurse again, but the slightly hopeful expression he had turned into one of bright joy when he saw it was his brother. "Alec!" He wasted no time hopping off of the chair and rushing at him, just about tackle hugging him. "You're okay! What happened? Did you find Aline? Where's everyone else? Are they all okay too?" he asked in rapid fire.

Someone Max's size shouldn't be able to knock Alec off his feet or even cause him to move but he staggered back a half step when his brother almost tackled him. For a few seconds, all he could do was hug him, trying to calm his thoughts so he didn't blurt out something that might cause Max to realize the truth. By the Angel, he'd almost forgotten how small Max was compared to him. Not because time had dulled his memories but because Max had always been with their parents and Maryse had been trying to keep him away from the rest of them, away from Jace during the last few weeks.

Then they'd been so busy and Alec had been trying to be the adult and...

He'd failed. His little brother had died because of the choices Alec had made, but somehow Max was here and Alec knew it wasn't a trick. It was real. There was no niggling doubts in the back of his mind or details that didn't mesh even if Max was the same age he'd been when Sebastian had attacked him.

"I'm okay. So are Izzy and Jace." He'd assume Izzy was safe even if they might be a reality apart. Izzy could take care of herself and if most of them had arrived here, Izzy would find a way to find them. "So are mom and dad and Aline." What happened wasn't something Alec wanted to answer until he knew more about what had happened to Max. "What do you remember after I left to find Aline?"

Though Magnus was relieved to have Wayward Pines behind them, given the knowledge they'd recently been allowed, it was unsettling to once again be in an unfamiliar landscape. The city they found themselves in wasn't strange in scale, but the amount of green made it an alien landscape compared to New York's stark stone and metal buildings. But in the end, the most important thing for him was being with Alec, and as long as they were at each other's side he would find a way to adapt to everything else around them. One such adaptation came more quickly than expected in the form of a call from the hospital, and Magnus didn't waste any time following Alec out the door and through the city to where Alec was needed.

Standing quietly beside Alec as the doctors explained everything to him, Magnus wrapped arms around him as he began to shake. He tried not to panic in the face of Alec's intense reaction and instead led him to a bench, sitting him down and perching on the edge next to him. Before he had a chance to comfort him, the words struck Magnus with confusion and gut-wrenching empathy. "He's alright, Alexander," he said, knowing that the doctors had explained that Max would be fine. It wasn't the reason Alec was distressed, and Magnus could only think it was because of what they'd been told while still in Wayward Pines. "You and Izzy were both saved, of course he would be as well."

If Magnus wasn't beside him, Alec knew he'd be doing something worse than shaking and trying not to cry. He knew that no one would judge him if he did, but he didn't want Max to see him afterward. No matter how much pain and hope tore at him, he wouldn't let Max see any sign of it. Alec refused to do anything that would scare his brother or make him realize what had really happened. How much time had passed since Sebastian had...

"He died, Magnus," Alec whispered when he finally could get the words past the lump in his throat. Curling up with Magnus, he rested his head on his husband's shoulder. Whatever had been done to them in Wayward Pines must have taken that memory from Magnus. He'd never had a chance to meet Max but he would have remembered Alec's grief and guilt afterward. Izzy had blamed herself, but Alec knew the choices that led up to it had been his. "It was my fault. He was murdered because I made the wrong decision."

Watching Alec's back disappear through the door gives him both a sense of relief and renews his concern. Alec had been a wreck since receiving the phone call, even more so as they had waited to be let in to see Max. Everything about the day had been a whirlwind, especially discovering that Jace had also been admitted to the hospital. That was two of the four Lightwoods hospitalized, and though the doctors had reassured Alec that both of them would recover, it was a lot of strain on his nerves. Magnus' soul may not have been bound to Alec's, but he still felt his pain and sought to relieve it in any way possible. So he's equally distracted for a moment, left outside to wait, and he doesn't snap out of his reverie until he notices Jace sliding down the wall opposite from the perfectly good bench that Magnus is slumped on top of.

"Jace, how are you feeling?" he asks rather than chiding him as Alec might; the floor is probably as comfortable as the hard bench, anyways.

A simple question should not be so complicated to answer and for a moment Jace searched for a quick, easy response. But even those felt too difficult. He felt like he was still chained up. He felt like he was still running towards Alec and getting further away with every step. He felt tired. A fatigue he could feel in the depths of his soul.

"Tired." He answered finally. No witty response, no deflection. But his gaze was distant, unfocused. Until he blinked rapidly and tried to appear less like he felt. He never should have sat down. Getting up was a bit more difficult than it should have been and he used the wall for more support than he would have liked. "Do you think anyone back home saw us disappear through a portal? Because I would love to have seen the look on Aldertree's face."

Outside of Max's Room

Izzy is still reeling from the welcome spiel; it isn't every day that a person gets dropped into a brand new...reality, world, take your pick for the wording. That only happens every few months if Izzy's last few are any indication. The break in the monotony of normalcy of Wayward Pines hasn't been forgotten completely, it's just been replaced with everything that's new and fresh, for the moment, instead.

After all, this place has something that Wayward Pines didn't: Max.

The Lightwood daughter hadn't realized that asking if her brother was here would lead not only to Alec, but Max too. Her baby brother was here with them and she hadn't been expecting it; hell, she didn't know what to think about this entire situation. What she did know was that she wasn't wasting time in hot-footing it to the hospital; she just hoped that Max was all right, mainly. After everything that had happened in the 'sleepy town' Izzy can't quite help the concern fueling her forward.

Her heels click with every step that she takes down the hall until she finds the room, pausing short. "I guess better late than never, right? Is Max okay?" Izzy manages to stay confident and nonplussed despite the worry that she feels in the pit of her stomach. After everything that they found out post the big battle....well, she can't help it.

She sure isn't showing that, though. She stands there in her heels cool, calm, collected, and confident as always. Even though she can't help but find her eyes on the door. She'll save the reaction to her new...situation for later once she catches up with everything.

Inside Max's Room (Izzy/Max)

Stepping in passed the door, Izzy's mouth automatically pulls into a smile. It's a smile that she automatically puts on, one that she almost reserves solely for Max. When she thinks of the little dude she can't help but feel a multitude of things...from the need to protect him to the fondness of a big sister. Now is no different than usual. Though, along with those normal feelings there are some distinctly new ones.

After what she heard at Wayward Pines she's incredibly thankful that Max is here; she still hasn't quite wrapped her mind around what they were told there,
but now...technically speaking she doesn't have to. The situation, the status of things, has changed now. Izzy's always been quick on her feet and good at adapting, but this is even a bit much for her.

She's not going to burden Max with that, though, her job as an older sister is to look after him.

"Hey, baby brother!" Izzy calls out, keeping her usual facade as she continues into the room. It seems like a lame greeting, but it's what she musters up. She's here, though. It would seem that they're all here and that's something.

Not picking up on how emotional Alec really was, Max pulled away so he could look his brother in the face with a worried expression. "Sebastian... You can't trust Sebastian. Izzy went to go get her stele and he said he was going to set up more wards around the house but..."

Max paused with a frown. The last time he said he'd seen something, nobody had believed him, so he was prepared to argue back if Alec brushed him off for saying Sebastian shouldn't be trusted. "Someone came up behind me and hit me in the head with something. I'm sure it was him. It happened really fast so I only saw for a second but I'm sure it was Sebastian swinging a hammer at me."

Max is really ready to get out of this hospital room, so when the door opens and someone walks in, he's hoping it's someone who is going to tell him he can leave. He doesn't expect to see his sister though since he hadn't been told she was also here, so his face lights up brightly and he wastes no time in dashing over to give her a big hug. "Izzy! You're here too!" All of his siblings are and he's beyond thrilled about it, especially to see them all in one piece.

Magnus shifted, slipping from the bench to crouch in front of Alec, hands resting on his thighs as he stayed close but put himself in view in an attempt to anchor Alec to the present rather than the memories he might disappear into. "Hey," he said softly, smoothing his hands over both shoulders and up the sides of his neck. He wanted to make everything alright, but he knew it wasn't possible and felt more helpless for it. If he couldn't take away this mental pain, what good was he to Alec? But he needed to try to comfort him, at the very least, and hopefully calm him so he could think more rationally.

His words sucked every possibility of warmth or comfort from the air.

"He didn't die," Magnus said, his gut reaction being to argue for what he knew to be true. It barely lasted a moment before he reminded himself of all the false memories he'd been given in Wayward Pines, the twisting of his mind to make him fit some mold of the perfect citizen of a tiny town. Straightening up again and pulling Alec against him, hand on the back of his neck to keep him close, he kissed his temple and forehead. Even if the memories were false—though it would remain to be seen if they were for Alec or for Magnus—that didn't make them any less real of distressing. "You're brilliant, Alexander, but you can't predict every possibility. You shouldn't blame yourself when I know you thought you were doing the right thing, whatever that may have been."

Magnus watched Jace as he hesitated, recognizing the expression of someone prone to lying about themselves as they searched for an answer—it was an expression that Magnus wore on more than a few occasions. He could see the exhaustion he carried beneath his eyes, even before he finally settled on the single word answer. It was simple, yet somehow indicative of the state itself that Jace hadn't managed to say anything else.

"Interdimensional travel will do that to you," he replied, lips quirking in a gentle smile. Eyes falling to Jace's side where he'd seen his hand lingering before, he gestured towards Jace. "If you're injured, I could help." Not that Jace looked hurt enough to need it, and if he was up and about in the hospital than he must have recovered to the point of not needing to be strapped to a bed. But it was meant to be a kindness between friends, not a necessity or obligation.

Shaking his head, Magnus tried to imagine what it might look like to see someone disappearing through the portal. "I don't know, I suppose it would depend on where and when we were taken," he pointed out as his eyes flicked up to a nurse who turned the corner but disappeared into a room farther down the hall than Max's.

When he first hears the distinctive click of heels bouncing off the stark white walls, Magnus can't help imagining Izzy walking down the hallway. It's a moment of whimsy because his arrival along with Alec's didn't guarantee that Isabelle would have been drawn to this new world as well. And yet he gives in to the temptation to turn and find the source of that brisk clicking, and he isn't surprised to see her even as he smiles with pleasant surprise.

"Isabelle," he greets her, waiting for his turn after the brothers to finish their hellos before he gets a chance to hug her. "Everyone is fine. It's good to see you are, too," he adds in a quieter tone, pulling away but squeezing her bicep with one hand. He doesn't want to say it, not until they can maybe step away from everyone else, but he's relieved that she's here not only for her own safety, but so he can talk to her about Alec.

It's a relief to Izzy that he looks good. She doesn't see any glaring issue that sets off the worry that she has for the smallest Lightwood on the regular. In fact, it's pretty much the opposite, Izzy feels relieved to be able to see him for herself and to have that reassurance that he really is doing okay. She can hardly believe that he's here, though. After what had come out after the battle her mind had been blown and she had...almost convinced herself that she would never see the rest of her family again.

And in the case of Max that wasn't a happy piece of knowledge.

"I am! Better late than never, right?" Izzy doesn't hesitate, hugging Max back tightly and then leaning down enough to press a playful kiss to his forehead before tousling his hair. "Hope you didn't miss me too much, handsome." She's just going to keep things calm and normal for now; that's the best way to do this, though, it's only just starting to hit her that unlike normal...there are no parents here to take care of Max. It's just them. Her, Alec, Jace. Max is now their responsibility.

"How you feeling?"

It took a few seconds for Alec to even register that his husband had moved, lost in memories of Max too still and Izzy covered in blood. He'd been terrified that he'd lost them both while slowly realizing that the person he'd trusted with his siblings had... His breath hitched, vision blurring before he focused on Magnus.

The hands on his shoulders that shifted to his neck were solid, real, something he desperately needed as he dragged himself out of his grief. Since they'd met, Magnus had always guided him. He was the one that reassured him, the voice of reason and compassion that helped him through the worst of the wars. Even when he couldn't be by his side knowing what Magnus would say to help him had kept Alec moving forward when he'd almost been tempted to give in to grief and the hope offered by magic that would have destroyed him.

He made a strangled sound, not sure if it was a sob or his husband's name, before letting himself cling to Magnus. For what felt like an eternity, he held Magnus, gathering his thoughts and resolve so that Max wouldn't see how much this was effecting him. It had to only be a few minutes. Enough time for Magnus' words to ease the guilt. It wouldn't go away completely. It never would but it would lessen. "I trusted someone I thought was family. I thought Max would be safe." Taking a deep breath, he knew Magnus would believe him but he had to make himself believe that it wasn't completely his fault before walking into Max's room. "I was the only adult. We were under attack. Someone had to - Magnus, they were killing children." And while he was trying to save others, his little brother had been murdered. "How can I stop blaming myself for that?"

Kneeling down so that Max wouldn't have to look up, he barely managed to hide his reaction to Max's perception of what happened. No, they couldn't tell him what really happened. He couldn't know the truth. At least not yet. Eventually, maybe, but not so soon after it'd happened. "I know. I should have listened to you, but you don't have to worry about him. I promise. He's gone now. He can't hurt anyone."

Momentarily, he wondered if Sebastian - Jonathan? - could be brought to this reality as well, but he pushed aside the thought. If Sebastian did show up and he was the madman he'd been before... Alec hadn't hesitated before and he wouldn't hesitate to hunt him down again. He knew the rest of their family would agree. "We're safe. Jace is here and Izzy will be here soon."

"You have no idea how glad I am that you're here." The familiarity of family is definitely a plus for Izzy. She's not sure how she would have handled being here by herself; she's always been independent...not the sort to seek out help or burden others, but the idea of being stuck without the rest of her family--especially Alec and now Magnus (who she's grown used to having around much more)--isn't a very positive idea.

They're here, though.

Hugging her brother-in-law, Izzy nods, glad to hear that everyone is fine. "I'm pretty good at taking care of myself, so nobody needed to worry much about me." She winks at the warlock before giving an affectionate squeeze back on his bicep this time and looking around before back at the high warlock of Brooklyn. "No sign of our monster friends here yet, right? And have you see anybody else from town?" She can't quite hold back the questions, curiosity bubbling.

After the announcement that they got before she wound up here she can't quite help it; she's finding both some...suspicion and uncertainty about all of this.

Jace's hand automatically moved to cover the wound on his side. He'd almost forgotten about all the bruises and cuts and while he wasn't waterlogged, his clothes were still damp. He'd lost his stele in the water. The jump from the roof of the hospital had ripped a few stitches, but he wasn't bleeding to death thanks to the Mundane doctors.

But he became more focused on what Magnus had said after the offer to help.

"When was the last time you remember seeing me?"

Magnus had said 'if'. If you're injured. But Magnus had seen him. He had to have known something. Unless he had been so worried about Alec...yes, that made sense. The thought reminded him of the memory demon. Mangus had called Alec pretty boy and flirted. And now here they were. Together.

"Nevermind. It's not important."

After spending most of the morning outside, alternating between keeping the older Lightwood siblings company and doing his best to comfort them all, it's finally Magnus' turn to see Max. He's not sure what to expect since he'd only met him once before at his rune ceremony party, and that night had been tainted by problem after problem. He didn't hold it against Max, though, knowing that he'd been exposed to his parents' conversations about him and Alec as well as Jace. Children were sponges, soaking up everything around them whether or not adults gave credit to their level of awareness.

But it's possible that Max needs healing, and besides the necessity of seeing him Magnus knows that they'll be spending more time together. There's no way that Alec, nor any of the rest of them, would let Max live anywhere except within their Lightwood-Bane family. Stepping into the room, he smiled at Max as he came closer to where he sat. "Hello, Max, how are you feeling?" he asked before laughing and shaking his head. "I bet you're getting tired of hearing that."

Seeing Alec so lost in his own thoughts reminded Magnus painfully of the time before they had started dating. Alec was so full of light and potential, but there had been times when he'd been blinded by criticisms to the point of overthinking everything. It had been a habit that had nearly pushed him to marrying someone else—a memory that crashed down on Magnus with the realization that the passionate kiss that he'd remembered before didn't belong to a wedding shared with Alec. It sent his mind reeling, his balance compromised until he fell forward onto both knees in a motion that was fortunately jarring enough to pull him back to the present. There was so much to deal with, but the priority had to be now with Alec and Max.

Now kneeling between Alec's legs, Magnus gathered him into both arms for a tight embrace. "I've got you," he murmured against his neck, hand smoothing up to his hair and gently combing his fingers through the messy black locks. He didn't pull away even as Alec offered an explanation, one that just added more questions to those already buzzing through Magnus' mind and threatening to overwhelm him. Their memories had been tampered with, that much was obvious, but how would they ever know what was real and what had been falsified?

"Alexander," he said softly, kissing his cheek as he pulled away just enough to look at him without moving his arms from around Alec's waist, "There's no fault in that. You trusted someone you believed had earned it, and you went to do your job of saving others. It's the risk that leaders have to take when they can't do everything themselves." Reaching up, he pushed the hair back from Alec's face and smiled at him sadly. "And I doubt Max would blame you for any of that, so how can you blame yourself?"

Again Jace's reflexes gave him away, and it was clear that the injury must have still hurt if he was lifting a hand to protect it. Standing up from where he'd been sat on the bench, he crossed the narrow hallway and knelt down beside Jace against the opposite wall. "Let me heal you," he said, tone questioning but with the force of a request. While everyone was focusing on Max—rightly, as a child—the least Magnus could do was help Jace.

The question shouldn't have been strange given the information he'd received in their last location as well as coming to this new one. Time didn't seem to be as concrete of a construct to people who were able to create portals through space. "Valentine's attack on the Institute," he replied carefully rather than listening to Jace's dismissal of the topic. "Everyone was split up, so I didn't see what happened to you."

Indulging her in the hug, arms a little tight around her because of his relief, he chuckles and nods at the fact that Izzy can take care of herself. "A strong woman doesn't need to be worried about, but that doesn't stop us from being concerned." Especially with how things had been going since arriving in the new city, and after leaving the previous town, it was comforting to see for himself that she was alright.

"No monsters, and so far the only people I recognize are you and Alec," he says, though it makes him wonder if anyone else might have come through the portal at the news of all the false belonging they'd been given while in Pines. It was definitely enough to make Magnus feel displaced, so it stood to reason that others would as well.

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Meeting at the Hospital/Before Seeing Max

Alec Seeing Max

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Jace and Magnus | Waiting outside Max's room together.

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for Max (and Alec)

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