Alec's penetrating gaze rests on me. A figure emerges from the shadows and only now do I notice that we were not alone. With his head down and a visibly disturbed expression on his face, a young man flits past us. His flaming red hair reminds me of Clarissa and the features of his boyish face are also very similar to hers. Brother, it pops into my head and mentally I nod.

"What are you thinking?", asks Alec and without taking my eyes off the boy I answer exactly what I was thinking two seconds ago.

"That's Clarissa's brother." Alec hums in agreement and I look back up at him.

"And before that? What were you thinking about?" In the park at the picnic in the rain, we promised to be honest with each other. I'm not going to back away from that.

"About us and Vegas. I'm trying to remember what happened. But there's nothing but black emptiness in my head and the only images are still the same ones I had after we woke up in that hotel room."

"Black hair, blue eyes, Elvis", says Alec. "I remember." he slips in quietly.

"It's the only thing I remember and it's wearing me down. This whole thing, the two of us, it's eating me up from the inside out. My body seems to know and desire you. I don't like losing control", I reply, deciding to ask Alec a question I already know the answer to. And yet I need to hear the words come out of his mouth.

"Do you remember? Anything at all? Please tell me. No matter how small it is."

"No." Alec shakes his head. He doesn't remember either.

"I'm just now really realising how much the loss of my memories is affecting me. I so wish I knew what happened. Did I talk to you or did you talk to me? Did I suck your cock or did you suck mine? The two of us? How did we end up in the chapel and with Elvis? In the hotel room? Where did we get the condom and did we use lube? Apparently not, because my butt hurt so bad." Amused at the absurdity of this situation, we still sit there with our backs against the wall, grinning at each other.

"That sounds like something out of a bad movie you know? That's actually every man's nightmare, isn't it? You wake up in the morning, you've had a hot night and you don't remember it. The man next to you is breathtakingly beautiful, his body athletic and his butt shapely. You imagine your hands tenderly stroking his curves and can't remember. Not the feel of his skin against yours or how his lips taste. I don't really want to think about what happened any longer. You don't know, you don't have any memories. We should look to the future Magnus. It's better this way", Alec replies.

With a jerk he pushes himself away from the wall and stands with two long steps directly in front of me. His outstretched hand is not a sign of peace or a greeting. He offers to help me stand up, face the hustle and bustle of the party and have a nice evening with him. Hesitantly, I take Alec's hand and let him pull me into an upright position. The momentum is enough to make me stagger, but Alec catches me. Strong arms wrap around my waist, his nearness giving me the calm I need to take the next step.

"I'm sorry. What I said wasn't fair", I say apologetically. Instead of a reply, Alec pulls me into a tight hug and I sigh, smelling the fresh scent of the sea.

"You're exhausting Magnus Lightwood. And if I didn't know better, you'd think you were one of my relatives from London. My aunt can be just as exhausting and my uncle has one sitting all the time", says Alec, chuckling at his last words. I can't suppress a laugh either and together we hold each other quivering in our arms, enjoying this rare light-hearted moment between us.

"We are a quirky couple, aren't we?", I say and Alec rolls his eyes.

"Yes. We are. And that's even though you never wanted to get married." he replies quietly. His eyes fix on my lips and I bite down hard on my bottom lip, letting my teeth slide over the rosy flesh. Every intimate moment between us ended in an orgasm.

"Let's go." Alec breathes a kiss on the corner of my mouth and reaches for my hand. Together we step out of the diffuse light of the alcove and I take one deep breath before entering the hall with Alec. I was never prepared for what awaits me here and it really pulls the rug out from under me.

In the last weeks before my mum died, she talked less and less about the past. Instead, she lived in the here and now, enjoying every moment and painting pictures of a future she dreamed of but would never see. When my mum talked about her only child's dream wedding, I closed my eyes and saw images of a large hall lined with dark wood, wide floorboards like you used to find in old castles, floor-to-ceiling windows, white gossamer flowing curtains, chandeliers with glittering crystals hanging in thick drops from the ceiling and a wedding couple so radiantly beautiful and graceful, moving lightly to the music of the band.

The song for the wedding dance hummed softly to her and I squeezed her hand, feeling love, affection and trust. Mum died in my arms, pumped full of painkillers. A tear left her eye, glistening on her skin which was the same colour as mine. She hummed the same song that had just sounded and the more bars that passed, the more my heart tightened. I claw at Alec's arm, feel his gaze on me and how I would like to tell him that this sight is freezing me right now. But I don't want to disappoint him again.

I stand there like I'm stuck and watch the crowd part in front of us. I see Simon in a beautiful black dinner jacket with a beaming Izzy in his arms. Her ivory mermaid dress covered in lace fits like a second skin. Figure-hugging, glamorous, her glossy black hair falls in great waves down her back. The wide double door is wide open and the white curtains move gently in the fresh breeze that floats over to us. The hairs on my arms stand up and my whole body begins to tingle.

Alec stands close to me, his arm around my waist, my hands claw into the soft fabric of his dinner jacket and I try to get my tears under control. With his other hand he strokes my back soothingly. Reminiscing, I close my eyes, feeling Alec's warm breath against my skin and the shallow movement of his body. The band plays a song and I let myself go, surrendering to the lines and Alec's strong arms.

Now I've had the time of my life

No, I never felt like this before

Yes I swear it's the truth

And I owe it all to you' Cause I've had the time of my life

And I owe it all to you I've been waiting for so long

Now I've finally found someone to stand by me

We saw the writing on the wall

And we felt this magical fantasy

Now with passion in our eyes

There's no way we could disguise it secretly

So we take each others hand

'Cause we seem to understand the urgency Just remember

You're the one thing

I can't get enough of

So I'll tell you something

This could be love Because I've had the time of my life

No, I never felt this way before

Yes I swear it's the truth

And I owe it all to you

Hey baby With my body and soul

I want you more than you'll ever know

So we'll just let it...

My mum would have loved Alec. His sister is living her dream and I wonder if she is looking down on us from above right now, imagining Alec and I doing our wedding dance. That's what I'm wishing for. Mum in a white silk dress with big white wings shining in the soft light of the setting sun. As does her laughter. She looks down at us from above and dances a round dance with angels to the sounds of the song. As Alec and I are doing at this moment.

"You really mean a lot to me Magnus. I'm on the verge of falling in love", Alec whispers in my ear and seals his words with a breathy kiss on my cheek.