Twinkle Twinkle Little Star   von Bibs
                    (My version of 'Born to Endless Night')
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                                  Kapitel 1: 
                                  -----------


With a brooding glance at the bundle in front of his chest Magnus reached for
the keys to Alec’s and his flat. He still was not quite sure if it had been a
good idea to give in to the request of the Clave. Or should he rather say to
Isabelle and her ex-vampire-now-ascending-mundie friend Simon, who had
discovered the whimpering huddle of blankets on the Academy’s steps and then
pleaded, in Izzy’s case threatened, Magnus to not let the Silent Brothers take
what turned out to be a little baby. Admittedly a dark blue baby with ivory hair
and pointy ears, which clearly marked it as a warlock baby and therefor
something to get rid of, as far as the Clave was concerned and Magnus was always
striving to not make things easy for the Clave. Still, bringing an infant home
to his Nephilim boyfriend without a chance to at least warn Alec seemed risky.
Magnus was not at all sure he could predict what his blue eyed sunshine would
think of it. Much less did he know about childcare. Right now he wondered if he
would be able to ever get out of this baby sling on his own. He was used to
surround himself with exquisite fabric but normally it was not wrapped around
him like an evil fusion of a backpack and a straitjacket. Although he had to
admit that it had proved itself useful while travelling by Portal and New York
subway. The baby also seemed to like being huddled against Magnus’s chest,
sleeping most of the time and hidden from curious glances. He had glamoured them
nonetheless, just to make sure no one accused him of child abuse by dyeing. 
The faint sound of steps behind the still closed door brought him back to the
present and he finally slid the key into the lock and, clutching the duffle bag
with diapers and formula Maryse had forced on him when he arrived at the
Institute, made his way into the apartment. Since Alec had moved in over a year
ago they had made some modifications to the place. Part of the group of small
sofas had been replaced by a rather large ruby coloured couch overloaded with
pillows, wide enough to accommodate two adults who wanted to spend time watching
TV together. In the far corner Alec had arranged some simple yet effective
sports equipment to keep himself in shape for everyday business, namely kicking
demons back to their home dimension. The sandbag was still swinging softly back
and forth, painting lines on the floor with a small stream of grains. “Not to
self: Don’t get hit or kicked by Alec”, muttered Magnus, who patched the
broken seam and let the sand vanish with a flippant move of his free hand. He
heard soft rumbling noises from their bedroom, indicating Alec’s whereabouts.
Leaving the duffle bag and his warm jacket at the entrance, Magnus slowly made
his way to the door. Against habit he did not sneak into the room to greet his
love with a surprise bear hug but knocked. 
“Alexander, I’m home. Are you decent”, he asked and heard a zipper being
pulled up. 
“Not since I met you but I’m half dressed”, replied Alec and Magnus could
hear the amusement and a hint of confusion in his voice. “Have you brought
guests?” 
“So to say”, stated Magnus and slowly pushed the door open, revealing
himself with the brightly coloured length of cloth wrapped around his upper
body. Alec stood in front of their closet wearing jeans and a shirt pulled over
his arms but not his head yet, the thumbs hooked into the neckline. Normally
Magnus would have admired his beautiful partner now, caressing him with his gaze
but right now he kept his eyes fixed on Alec’s face and tried not to look as
unsettled as he felt. He saw Alec blink and move his lips to probably ask what
he was wearing or if he had finally gone mad with the latest unknown fashion
trend, when the baby choose to wake up and voice some yet unknown discomfort
with a muffled whimper against Magnus’s breast. He looked down and tried to
soothe him with softly muttered words and stroking the baby’s back, which had
helped in the subway but did not seem to do the trick this time. The whimper
grew to solid crying and Magnus, who had fought Nephilim and demons, sobered up
vampires and rescued queens, had no idea what to do. Being a warlock meant not
having children and in the rare cases over the years when he had met infants,
there had always been a parent there to take care of unexpected crying. 
He suddenly felt Alec close to him and looked up just to find his partners eyes
fixed on the helplessly wailing child. Alec’s look was soft and tender, not at
least taken aback by the baby’s unusual colouring or its unexplained presence.

“Hey there. What’s wrong little one”, he said gently and placed his warm
hand next to Magnus’s on the baby’s back, rubbing it in little circles.
“Should we get you out of this?” 
“If you know how to untie 15 foot of linen, please do so”, sighed Magnus and
shot him a begging look. 
Alec took a step back and examined the baby sling. “I think my mother used one
of these when she had Max”, he muttered and frowned just for a second when the
thought of his late younger brother passed his mind. Then Alec, being the
hands-on personality Magnus treasured, stepped behind his back and started to
untie the pattern of knots that kept the baby in place. 
“You know, I think I will never feel quite the same about being untied by
you”, Magnus stated but Alec interrupted him calmly. 
“Don’t drop the baby, I think this one holds the whole thing together.”
Magnus wrapped his arms around the still squealing baby and felt the pressure of
its weight shift from his back to his arms. 
“Got it”, he announced just to have the baby picked out of his embrace and
being left with loose fabric dangling around his shoulders, while Alec cradled 
the small ivory head against his neck and stroked the baby’s back. Magnus
watched in wonder while Alec seemed to know as a matter of course what to do to
calm the child, who in turn had grabbed the front of Alec’s shirt in one tiny
blue fist, now only snivelling occasionally. Feeling strangely out of place and
still owing an explanation Magnus cleared his throat and gathered up the
material of the wraparound. 
“So what I meant to say was, may I introduce to you the little foundling who
was most unkindly left at the Academy’s steps this very morning. The
Inquisitor agreed to not send for the Silent Brothers, after you sister
discussed the matter of giving lifelong nightmares to a baby with him. Now there
I was, once again to the rescue and I am really sorry I could not warn you and
I…” 
“It’s okay. Did you bring something to feed him….or her”, Alec once
again interrupted and Magnus noticed that his boyfriend had not looked up from
the little one during his explanation of this day’s events. “I think she may
be hungry…or he... Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl? Or a name? Calling
babies ‘it’ just does not feel right.” 
Defeated, Magnus placed the wraparound on their bed, much to the joy of Chairmen
Meow who hopped up to inspect the cosy nest it made for him, and pointed to the
main room. 
“Your mother packed a bag full of stuff she said we might need. I have no idea
what we are supposed to do with all those boxes and lotions and stuff. Maybe
Catarina can help”, he suggested, led Alec to the duffle bag and started to
unpack it while the younger man softly rocked on his heels and examined what
Magnus placed on the table. 
“I think the milk powder just needs to be mixed with warm water. You see those
tiny bottles?” 
The warlock nodded and realized that Alec, being the oldest of the Lightwood
children, probably had watched his mother prepare food for his siblings or even
had helped her. It seemed like a thing young caring Alexander would have done
and the thought made Magnus feel all fuzzy and warm inside for a moment. 
A few minutes later Alec sat on the sofa, the baby resting in his lap and
covered to the chin by a towel, and Magnus was sucking at the burned back of his
hand. He had seen some commercial or something where a beaming mother had
checked the temperature of the milk by dripping it on her hand and thus had
tried the same. It had been way to hot. 
“I think it cooled down now”, he said after a second drip on the other hand,
much more careful this time. 
“Let’s see if she’s hungry”, Alec agreed, switching between calling the
baby he and she at random. It stirred anxiously when Magnus handed the bottle to
Alec and lifted his arms as if to grab it. The baby started to drink as soon as
the bottle nipple touched its lips and Magnus felt an involuntary smile play on
his lips.
“Seems you are a natural with babies”, he told Alec, who’s cheeks turned a
slight pink but who also smiled. 
“It’s nothing. I just hold the bottle, nothing more”, Alec mumbled and
just then the baby got hold of one of his slender fingers. Magnus saw a spark in
Alec’s eyes, a tiny light he knew was there when the young Shadowhunter looked
at him or Izzy or Jace, and it left Magnus slightly worried.

The baby fell asleep again after it had emptied another bottle and given a
hearty burp against Alec’s shoulder. They laid it down in the middle of their
bed, framed by their rolled blankets and all the pillows to make a cosy safe
nest, before retreated into the main room. Magnus picked up Chairmen Meow and
sat down on the sofa, feeling Alec’s gaze on him.
“So what exactly happened? And what are we going to do now”, he inquired as
he sat down next to his immortal boyfriend.
“Simon and Izzy found the baby on the Academy’s steps this morning, just
before the first lesson. No one seems to know how it got there”, Magnus
started to explain, much calmer now. “I arrived just at the moment your lovely
sister was yelling at the Inquisitor how he could think to give a baby to, and
that’s a direct quote, the creepy stitch faces. The next second she noticed me
and suggested I should take care of the baby, since it was clearly a warlock.
Simon chimed in and said, with all my contacts to Downworld it should be easy
for me to find an adoptive family for the little blueberry. His words, not mine.
So…here I am with a tiny blue baby I’m assigned to find parents for”, he
finished, his long fingers buried in his cat’s fur and waiting for
Alexander’s reaction. 
“And till then he or she is going to stay with us? Is there something like, I
don’t know, a warlock adoption agency or network of a sort?” Alec looked at
Magnus, relaxed and open as if nothing unusual happened, smiling softly and
reaching over to rub the Chairman’s head with two fingers. 
Magnus shook his head, relieved that Alec was not angry about the sudden turn of
events. “Interesting thought but no, not that I know of it. I’ll have to ask
Catarina or Tessa if they have any ideas. As adventurous as my life may have
been, I’ve never been in a situation like this”, he had to admit and the
little hint of desperation in his tone made Alec smile gently.
“Don’t worry too much, I will help you the best I can”, he promised and
leaned over to reassure Magnus with a short kiss. The warlock sighed and closed
his eyes, the knot in his stomach that he had not even noticed till now
untying.
“Thank you, Alexander. Growing up at the Silent Brother’s orphanage is not
as bad as Izzy seems to think, at least it was not that bad for me. But if we
can find a family for the little one, I’d much prefer that.” As always when
Magnus talked about his childhood, Alec looked at him with a mix of love and
sorrow, as if he would like to take away all the bad memories Magnus carried. 
After he had lost his mother and killed his stepfather in self-defence, Magnus
had been taken in by the Brotherhood. They had not exactly been the most loving
kind of care taker but considering the era and his nature, they had been decent.

“Me too. You know they still give me the creeps. Maybe you should call
Catarina then? She may be able to give us some childcare 101 lessons so we are
prepared for the next days.” Alec was still stroking the cat’s head and
leaning against Magnus’s shoulder when he called his friend, who happened to
be a gifted healer and worked at a mundane hospital.

By the time Catarina arrived at their apartment Magnus and Alec had found the
baby to be a little boy and were discussing if it was a good idea to choose a
name for him.
“I would not, if I were you”, Catarina cut in with a gentle voice while she
examined the child, “Giving him a name of your choice now will only get you
attached to him and make it harder to let go once we found parents. I’ve seen
it happen with the nurses and orphans at the hospital.” 
Alec seemed not happy about this advice, at least Magnus got the impression from
the way he pressed his lips together and the dark shadow that passed his eyes
just for seconds. “Perhaps but what should we call him? It just feels weird
not to have a name for him”, he complained but she just shrugged. 
“Does it really matter? He is around six month old I’d say and healthy,
although a little small and thin. You should get some other formula, the one you
have is for younger children. And you can try if he already likes mashed
potatoes or veggies or fruit.” 
Alec got up and gave a short nod. “Okay, I will go get what we need. Anything
else? The diapers my mom packed seem to fit, do they?”
“Two or three pacifiers”, Catarina suggested and held the baby with one arm
while she tugged the pyjamas up. “Magnus, I will call my friend Betty in the
morning. She is a social worker in New Jersey and has already helped arrange
adoptions for warlock babies. She knows how to find couples who know enough
about magic and Downworld and who are willing to raise unusual children.”
Magnus heard Alec make a muffled sound while shrugging on his coat but could not
make out what he said, so he just nodded to Catarina. “That sounds great. Is
there anything else we need to know? Must we, I don’t know, bath him? Or take
special care of anything?” He heard the door fall shut behind Alec.
She shook her head, white curls jingling around her own light blue ears. “You
don’t have to bath babies normally, just if they shit themselves up to the
neck. Oh don’t look at me like this, it can happen and is much better than
constipation. And don’t you praise yourself as a kind of magical Mr. Clean? If
you can deal with vampire puke you can deal with a little baby poop.” 
Magnus made a discarding gesture and closed his arm around the baby when
Catarina gave it back to him. “I think we can deal with poop. We did pretty
well with the first diaper, don’t you think?”
“Do you really want to know what I think”, she asked and fixed her eyes
intently on her old friend. “I think you need to watch out for your feelings,
both of you. I know you and saw how Alec looks at the little one, even though he
has been here only for a few hours.”
“I think he reminds Alexander of his little brother.” Magnus leaned back and
allowed the boy to cuddle against his chest, inquisitively grabbing and picking
at the multi coloured sequins on his shirt. He already seemed fascinated by
glittering stuff and Magnus smiled with more ease than he actually felt. He was
glad Catarina could not hear how his heart was skipping a beat or two. “Have
you never thought about taking care of one of our young”, he asked and
Catarina tilted her head to one side, eyes slightly narrowed and crossed her
arms in front of herself.
“I considered it, especially during my engagement. I think it would have made
him happy, having a child, but you know how my life goes, what I choose as my
vocation. There is no room in my life for raising a child.” 
He gave a low humming as an answer and stroked the boys ivory hair, from the
back of his head down his soft navy neck. “I don’t share your gift nor your
dedication to the mundanes. Until I met Alexander I would never have dreamed
about settling down the way I do now. I did not think overly much about new born
warlocks till today, to be honest. But now…”
“Just make sure you know what you are signing up for, Magnus. Not only raising
any ordinary child but raising a magically gifted like yourself. I don’t say
you’re not up to manage it. I just say it may be a challenge to handle a
toddler that can unintentionally set the curtains on fire when throwing a
tantrum.” Her features had softened again and she got up to pack her things
into her backpack. “If you have him sleeping in your bed make sure he sleeps
on his back and do not take him under your covers. Just give him a thin soft
blanket or baby sleeping bag. Babies overheat easily and it can cause sudden
infant death”, she advised him, back to her usual considerate self. “I need
to catch some sleep myself before my early shift tomorrow but feel free to call
if you need help.”
“Thank you, Catarina. You can give Betty my number if she needs it.” Magnus
glanced at the baby and decided to remain on the sofa instead of showing
Catarina out, because he was still playing with the sequins and happily
drooling, leaving a growing wet patch on Magnus’s chest. 
She gave him a little smile and grabbed her jacket. “I know the door. Good
night, Magnus. Take care.”
“I will. Good night.”



                                  Kapitel 2: 
                                  -----------


When Alec came back later, Magnus had put the baby back to his nest in their bed
and was watching TV without really seeing the images flashing   across the large
flat screen. He was pulled out of his musing by the   sound of keys and
scrambled to his feet when the first thing he saw was   two large paper bags.
“Hey darling. Let me help you”, he offered and   took one of the bags in
exchange for a quick kiss. “Little one had   another two bottles of milk and a
mashed banana and is sleeping now.   What did you buy?”
“Food and pacifiers and some random stuff I thought might be helpful.  
Catarina went home?” Alec slipped out of his boots, a little smile on   his
lips, and went to the kitchen counter to unpack his shopping. Magnus   followed
and took a look into the bag he carried, finding a small soft   looking hair
brush, a toy rattle and what looked like a stuffed piglet.
“I guess I got the random stuff bag”, Magnus assumed and also started to  
empty the contents of the bag next to the more practical congregation   of milk
powder packages, bottles and pacifiers that emerged from Alec’s   bag. “You
even got some clothes?”
“Well, he doesn’t have anything besides the pyjamas, does he? If he’s  
going to stay for a few days he will need something to change. I just   hope
they fit”, Alec illustrated his point, eyes fixed on a package of   baby
porridge that was decorated with berries and apples. 
“Good of you to think about that”, Magnus said softly and put a hand on  
Alec’s lower back, stroking over the fabric gently with his fingertips.  
“Catarina said we could call her anytime if we need help. At the moment   he
sleeps like…well not exactly an angel that would be a weird thing to  
say….like a good little baby. Maybe we are lucky and he stays like this   all
night.” 
Alec looked over at the door of the bedroom and a shy little smile crept   to
his face. “Are you sure it is okay to have him sleep in our bed,   together
with us, I mean? We don’t have a crib and to get one just for a   few days is
pointless.” The words tumbled out of Alec and Magnus knew   him well enough by
now to sense there was more on his mind, things he   could not say yet. 
“I was advised to make sure he does not get too hot, which will be a  
challenge considering I will be present”, Magnus answered, his tone   light
and teasing Alec by poking him gingerly. He was rewarded with a   loving look
and a grin that still made his stomach flutter.
“I’m sure you can manage to cool down just enough to make sure he can  
sleep well. And we can keep a pillow between us and him so we don’t  
accidentally roll over him.” Magnus nodded and let Alec pull him toward   the
sofa, where the younger man slightly pushed him to make him lie down   so he
could come to rest next to him. “What do you think made his   parents leave
him like this? How did they even get to the Academy”, Alec   asked, his head
propped on the shoulder of the warlock. 
Magnus placed his hand lightly on Alec’s hip and slipped his nose into   his
soft black hair. “I don’t know how he got to the Academy and   honestly, I
don’t care overmuch. That’s the Inquisitor’s problem not   ours. And for
why they left him…could be any reason. Fear or hate or   both. Could be the
man left the mother when the baby that was supposed   to be his son turned out
to be the wrong colour? Or she was alone to   begin with and desperate…” His
voice trailed off, his chest tight and he   could feel Alec tense up beside him.
“I don’t care either. It does not   help him to know why they abandoned
him.” At least they did not try to   kill him, he thought and stared at the
ceiling till suddenly Alec filled   his vision.
He had rolled himself on top of Magnus, covering him with his body and   warmth.
“Sorry for bringing this up. He is alive. And so are you. That’s   all that
matters”, he whispered and Magnus knew he meant it and then   Alec’s lips
were on Magnus’s and his strong hand cupped the older ones   cheek. In turn
Magnus took hold of Alec’s shirt, pulled him closer and   opened up to the
kiss, letting him take the pressure from his heart. It   still amazed Magnus how
Alexander made him feel incredibly vulnerable   and absolutely safe at the same
time. 
“Thank you”, he whispered when they broke the contact and he was able to
look into those wonderful blue eyes again.
“What for”, Alec wanted to know and smiled meekly.
“Being who you are”, Magnus answered and buried his face at Alec’s  
shoulder. “Love you like crazy”, he muttered and just seconds later   lifted
his head to look at the bedroom door. “Did you hear something? I   think there
was a noise.”
“Let’s check.” Alec got up and held a hand out to Magnus, who took it  
and followed him to the bedroom. When they noiselessly pushed the door   open
they saw the baby in his cosy nest, Chairman Meow curled up next to   him and
softly nudging the boy’s cheek with his nose. The baby chuckled   and waved
his little hands, trailing tiny golden sparks from his   fingertips which
floated above them in swirls and plumes before   dissolving.
They watched them in amazement and Magnus felt their fingers interlink,   felt
the slight pressure and heard Alec take a deep breath. “Is   this….his
magic”, he breathed as if he was afraid to disturb the beauty   of the moment.

Magnus nodded, fascinated by the joy and quietness that surrounded the   two
tiny figures on their bed. The sparks cast a surreal light that made   the
baby’s hair look like feathery gold and the cat’s eyes shine like   tiny
stars. He felt Alec move slowly towards the bed and loosen the grip   on his
hand but Magnus followed him anyway and lay down on the other   side of the
nest.  The baby looked at them, smiled and suddenly the   magic seemed to
explode from his hands like tiny fireworks, filling the   room with sparkling
golden light. Magnus held out his own hand and when   he touched one of the
sparks, it sizzled quietly and vanished, leaving   just a slight prickling on
his skin.
He looked over to his boyfriend who was staring at the spectacle and the   baby
in turn, clearly marvelling at the sight. By chance he met   Magnus’s eye,
their glance locked before both of them looked at the baby   again who gave them
another toothless grin and squeaked in delight. The   sound made Magnus’s
heart skip another beat and he cursed himself   silently for being so soppy. At
least he seemed not alone in this. Alec   reached out one hand very slowly in
the boy’s direction, eyes fixed on   his dark navy blue ones and brushed his
cheek oh so lightly, as if   afraid the baby might dissolve under his touch. 
Still smiling, the boy stopped sending sparks up to the dark ceiling and   got
hold of Alec’s hand by grabbing the pinkie and index finger. Alec   gasped but
let him pull his hand close to his face, which looked even   smaller and more
fragile in contrast to Alec’s scarred and callused   fingers. Magnus could not
help but smile as he watched the little one   press his chubby cheek against
Alec’s palm, who made a stifled sound and   bit his lower lip. The last golden
sparks drifted down and died when   they touched anything solid, the only light
in the room now falling in   through the half open door.
“I guess he likes you”, whispered Magnus, looking now at Alec but not  
really able to tell what was going on behind his shining blue eyes that   seemed
to be stuck on the sight between them.
It took Alec some moments to frame an answer and when he spoke, his   voice was
strangely husky. “He shouldn’t too much…he’s not going to   stay…”
With a lot of caution he untangled his fingers from the boys   grip, caressed a
line from his forehead down his nose under which the   baby closed his eyes,
only opening them half way, apparently getting   sleepy. Alec kept on repeating
the soft gesture till the boy’s eyes   remained closed and he fell asleep
again. “He’s not going to stay”, Alec   whispered again, with a rough edge
to his voice that made Magnus   swallow hard. Before he could say anything Alec
had drawn back his hand,   rolled out of the bed in one fluid motion and was
heading for the door,   his hand closed in front of his belly.
Magnus frowned and followed slowly to find his boyfriend in the kitchen,  
picking at a bar code label on one of the baby bottles as if it had   personally
insulted him. His whole body was rigid and he had his lips   pressed together, a
sure sign that he was unwilling to be approached or   talked to right now. So
instead of disturbing him, Magnus crossed the   room to switch off the TV, fluff
up the cushions on the sofa and lock   the door to the landing prior to entering
the kitchen area.
Alec had run out of sticky labels to attack but seemed still not   inclined to
share his thoughts or feelings with Magnus, who kept a   little distance and
studied his profile. “What about we take a quick   shower together and go to
bed”, he suggested when he could not stand the   awkward silence any longer.
Hopefully a warm shower would help his   loved one relax. Blue eyes met his for
a second and Alec gave a short   nod, even took the hand Magnus offered but
remained silent. The warlock   pulled him close and placed a light kiss on his
hair. “Don’t worry, we   can talk tomorrow”, he whispered and felt another
nod combined with a   reassuring pressure on his hand, promising that they
would.

When Magnus woke up the next morning he rolled over to find the bed next   to
him empty, both Alec and the baby gone. He stared at the mass of   pillows for
some time, wondering why he felt slightly disappointed by   their absence. What
had he hoped for, two lovely smiling faces greeting   him? Magnus rubbed his
face to chase away the thoughts and the emotions   that came with them, a
stinging longing in his chest that did not solely   target Alexander, and got up
to look for them.
To his further frustration Magnus did not find them in the main room   whose
only inhabitant at the moment was Chairman Meow, happily munching   his
breakfast. “Good morning. Do you know where Alexander and our little   friend
vanished to?” The cat looked up at him when he spoke, blinked   slowly and
then indulged again in his food. “Thank you, very helpful”,   muttered
Magnus just to find his eyes drawn to a square piece of paper   on the kitchen
table, covered in Alec’s handwriting. 

  
Good morning Magnus,
I hope you slept well. I did not want to wake you up, so I took little one out 
for a walk. We’ll be back soon.
Love, Alexander
 
P.S.:  This Betty called. She will come around 3pm to see little one. Her number
is on  the back.  

Magnus gave a little sigh and turned the note over to find a cell phone   number
that seemed hastily scribbled, the last three digits crossed out   and replaced.
So Catarina had kept her word and already called her   social worker friend who
was meant to find parents for the baby boy.   Magnus shoved the note into the
pocket of his black jeans and helped   himself to some breakfast, since he had
nothing better to do while   waiting for Alec to return. He found himself
thinking about the magic   the little boy had shown last night, golden sparks
drifting through the   air like stardust and tried to remember the first time he
had used his   own magic. It had not been the tragic incident with his
step-father but   how old had he been when he had first played with the blue
flames and   sparks that marked his own native magic? It could not have been
much   earlier and certainly not in the crib, his mother would have noticed and 
 maybe have ended her life sooner. 
“I should have asked Catarina what the normal levels of development for  
warlock babies are”, he muttered and grabbed his cell phone to make up   for
his lack of concentration yesterday. 
|Hey Catarina. First night went well. Say, can you remember the first   time you
used magic? Or did your mother ever tell you? Just wondering.|
Magnus did not wait for an answer because he knew she was working and it   could
be hours before she took the time to look at her phone and even   longer for her
to reply, if she did not see his question as a priority.   To kill some time
until Alec came back, Magnus switched on his computer   and began browsing the
depths of the internet, the digital hive mind of   this era. To his slight
surprise he started searching pages about babies   and childcare and parenting,
curiously taking in what were the mundanes   latest views on all the topics.
When he heard the key turning in the   apartments lock, he closed the browser
hastily, flapped the laptop shut   and got up to greet Alec as he opened the
door.
“How has your walk been”, he inquired and smiled at him. 
Alec pulled a thin woollen hat from his own head, causing his hair to   stand
away in all directions, and smiled with shining eyes. “Pretty   nice. We went
to the small park a few blocks south and enjoyed the sun.   It’s getting
chilly but I put on an extra sweater, so he did not get   cold.” It seemed
that Alec had managed to fasten the baby to his chest   with the wraparound and
then had indeed put on one of his old, saggy   sweaters, the zipper only half
way up so the little blue face poked out.   “And I called Maryse on the way.
I’m off duty today to take care…to   help you take care of him.” 
Magnus smiled and closed the door behind his partner. “How very obliging   of
her. Do you like some coffee”, he offered and Alec followed him to   the
kitchen. The coffee machine had been one of Magnus’s first presents   for him,
just a little more than two years ago. 
“Sure, thank you. I did not have time earlier. Little one was a bit  
unsettled and I did not want you to wake up because he cried.“ Alec was  
still smiling and seemed very comfortable with the baby in the   wraparound,
even snatching a small kiss from Magnus when he handed him a   steaming mug of
coffee.
“Did he wake you up without me noticing?”
“No, Chairman Meow was hungry first and licked my ear again. Little one   was
playing with sparks when I came back, making them dance around his   fingers.”
The memory seemed to bring a bright light into Alec’s eyes and   Magnus
eyeballed him inquisitively.
“I’m sorry I missed that”, he said and raised a hand to gently stroke  
the little boys head and then placed it on Alec’s cheek. “Can we talk  
about last night? You seemed…troubled. I’d like to understand why.” He  
was sorry to see the joy that had lit up Alec’s face fade but they both   knew
they had to have this conversation, better now in private than   later when
Betty came to take the baby with her.
“I guess you’re right, we need to talk”, Alec agreed and turned to move  
to the sofa, taking off his sweater as he went but still carrying the   baby.
His left hand went to the baby’s back in a gesture Magnus was not   sure he
was aware of. He loved Alec for his protective nature and the   way he almost
automatically extended it onto the small warlock boy   chimed with Magnus’s
own sense of responsibility for him. 
He sat down next to Alec and slid one long arm around his back, his   voice very
calm when he spoke. “Why did you run away after he fell   asleep?” 
He felt Alec taking a deep breath and prepared for a jumble of words,   the way
his boyfriend often spoke when he was under an emotional strain.   But this time
Alec spoke slow and clear, choosing his words with care   as he went on.
“Because it hurt to realize that he is not going to stay   with us. I know
it’s silly to think it could be different. He needs   parents, someone who
knows what babies need and how to care for them. He   needs a family that
accepts him wholeheartedly for who he is, who love   him no matter what. And
even if it feels like cutting myself, I cannot   keep that chance from him just
because I loved him the moment I first   held him.” His eyes were fixed on his
hand on the boy’s back, not daring   to look at Magnus, afraid to see nothing
but sorrow and maybe pity in   his lovers face.
“You are not silly, Alexander, not a bit”, Magnus answered and leaned   over
to nuzzle his soft black hair, slipping his own dark hand over   Alec’s. “Or
maybe just a little bit. Why should he not find a loving   family with us?”
“You know my parents, don’t you? How do you think they would handle   having
a warlock grandchild?” Alec sighed and slumped against Magnus. 
“I do. And I know your sister and Simon, who both stood up against your  
father yesterday to make sure this little boy would not be sent to the   Silent
Brothers. And your parabatai may be a prig but he has a good   heart under all
that arrogance. I think they could make up for your   uptight father.” He
placed his fingers in the gaps between Alec’s so he   could also touch the
baby. “Families don’t need to be perfect.” He   lifted his head and softly
nudged Alec’s temple with his nose. “Will you   look at me, Alexander?”
When Alec turned his face to him Magnus smiled, even though he could see   the
mixed feelings his words were causing. “I understand how you feel   about him.
He is adorable. An innocent little bundle of joy and   possibilities. And I have
to admit that I’m scared when I think about   the responsibility taking care
of him poses. But I want to make a   difference for him, for his life. I don’t
want him to grow up and become   scared of what he can do or hate himself for
what he is.” There it was   again, the bright spark in Alec’s eyes that
Magnus had hoped for. “It   won’t be easy, we will need to learn so much and
Catarina promised a lot   of poop and burning curtains and tantrums but we have
faced worse,   don’t you think?”
A little smile played on Alec’s lips. “You mean like demon invasions,  
being stuck in Edom and blackmailed by a Prince of Hell? Yes, I think   that
sounds worse than poop and tantrums.” He returned Magnus’s look   steadier
now, assured that he was not alone with his feelings for the   child. “It will
mean a fundamental change for our lifestyle though. No   more parties or
round-the-world trips off the top of your head, at least   till we figured
everything out. No summoning demons until he is able to   understand what
you’re doing.  No sudden rescue missions while I’m out   in the park with
him. He’ll also eventually need a room for himself, at   least a…”
Magnus interjected, grinning from ear to ear and his cat-like eyes   sparkling.
“So we are in this together? Being…fathers?” He felt his   heartbeat speed
up as Alec looked down at the foundling who returned his   gaze with wide
wondrous eyes.
“Yes we are”, he confirmed and when he looked up at Magnus again, his  
whole face seemed to glow with a smile so happy Magnus could do nothing   but
return it.
“Another first time I could not have dreamed of without you.”
“I know. But now we’re allowed to pick a name, don’t you think?”
Magnus grinned. “I’m only good at cat names. As long as you don’t call him
Buford, the choice is yours.”
Alec looked vexed at the suggestion. “Who on earth would call their child
Buford?”
“Actually the very same man who first introduced me to the wonderful  
possibilities of glitter. You may say he had a crucial influence on my   life in
doing so.” This made Alec laugh, the light sound ringing trough   the high
room. 
“Okay, who do we owe the gratitude for this finishing touch on your
magnificent self to”, he wanted to know, genuinely curious.
“To the same genius who invented the first sensors and who established   the
basis for portal magic as we know it today, with my humble   assistance on the
latter. His name was Henry Branwell, although his   children went by his
wife’s maiden name, Fairchild.”
“Did you know him well?” Alec still smiled and caressed Magnus’s thumb  
with his own. “I think Henry is a nice name. And it goes well with both,  
Bane or Lightwood. Until he chooses his warlock last name.”
Magnus threw a musing look at the child. “He was an extraordinary man,   well
ahead of his time. Not the worst namesake you could wish for. But   are you
sure? I thought maybe Ma...”
“No”, Alec cut him off and slowly shook his head. “I don’t like this,  
you know, giving babies the names of recently deceased. It hurts those   left
behind and puts an unfair pressure on the child.  Or would you like   to call
him Ragnor or Raphael?”
Alec had a strong point, Magnus had to admit. “No, I don’t but mostly  
because both of them were pretentious know-it-alls and never had a sense   for
wonder or the everyday beauty that surrounds us”, he claimed with a   wry
smile. “So it’s Henry, then?”
Alec nodded and placed a very gentle kiss on the child’s forehead. “Hello
Henry. Welcome to our family.”
“Welcome, little Henry”, Magnus repeated and also breathed a kiss on the  
smooth skin. “I hope you like our choice. If not, you can always change   it,
once you learn to speak.”
“As long as it isn’t Buford”, Alec added with a chuckle.



                                  Kapitel 3: 
                                  -----------


“You want to do what?” Robert had gone very  white and was staring at his
son in barely concealed horror. Alec took a deep  breath and counted silently to
three before answering. His father took the news  worse than he had hoped and
yet better than he had feared. So far he had not  shouted at him nor thrown him
out of his Inquisitor’s office.
“We are going to adopt Henry”, he repeated slow  and clear, “Please do not
mistake me, I’m not here for your approval. Magnus  and I debated it and the
decision is set. All I’m asking is if you know how we  have to proceed now. If
you don’t, just say so and I won’t bother you again.”
Alec hated to see the disbelief in his father’s  face and how he struggled for
words, resented how it still affected himself.  His stomach felt like he had
swallowed rocks. He had come to Robert for legal  advice on how he could get
Henry acknowledged as part of his family, as his  child. This was not about
making him a Shadowhunter, which was impossible due  to his warlock nature
anyway, but there were social laws that were meant to  ensure a living for
orphaned children of Shadowhunters. If the past had taught  Alec anything, it
was how fragile life was. Not only his own but also Magnus’s  seemingly
immortal one.
“We are taking responsibility for him and this  includes that we need to make
certain preparations. In the worst case we may  leave him an orphan before he is
old enough to take care of himself. All I want  is to make sure he has access to
what was mine. You know there are rights the  orphans of Shadowhunters have, if
their parent dies on duty. All I ask for is  safety for my son.” It had only
been a few weeks but it felt thoroughly natural  to Alec to call the warlock
baby his son. “Will you say something or just  continue to stare at me”, he
demanded now and seemed to pull his father out of  his shock.
Alec saw his father look down at his hands as  if studying the lines, calluses
and scars. He had a feeling it was more to  avoid looking at him than a sudden
interest in manicure. “Alexander would you  explain to me why you want to do
this? Why take responsibility for this warlock  boy? The Dark War left so many
of our own orphaned”, Robert asked quietly and  still without looking up.
Alec took a slow breath and tried his best to  remain rational and calm. “I
know father. But most of them still have relatives  and even if they don’t,
they are welcome to the Institutes and other  Shadowhunter families. They will
find homes just like Jace found his home with  us. Who is going to welcome Henry
like this?” He refused to call him anything  other than his name in front of
his father, trying to state as clear as  possible that he saw the boy as a
person, a soul worth loving and protecting.  “Besides it simply feels right.
It feels right to hold him, care for him, sing  him to sleep, see him smile.
Seeing Magnus with him…” Alec stopped and bit down  on his lip to stop the
emotions dwelling up to high.
“So this is really about him? Did he…”
Alec’s hand shot up, palm flat in his father’s  direction. “Stop it. This
is nothing Magnus talked me into or persuaded me to  do, he never did. Magnus is
the one who gives me balance and confidence to be  myself. If you can’t
understand that I love him and Henry unconditionally,  without the need for
reason or explanation, there is nothing more I can say.” Robert  looked as if
he had slapped him but Alec did not care and held his gaze till  the older man
inclined his head towards him.
“Alexander, I’m afraid there is nothing I can do  to help you. Not right
now. Your case is unique, unprecedented as far as I  know”, he started and
Alec filed that under ‘not no’ with a short nod.
“Does that mean you will need time to read up  on it or that I should search
for assistance elsewhere?” Alec knew he was  cornering his father but he felt
he had not much other options, except going to  the Silent Brothers.
The large man behind the desk shoved some  papers from left to right and looked
his son up and down. “I will see what I  can find. It may be possible to draw
some analogies from other incidents.”
Alec pressed his lips together upon the last  word, cleared his throat and stood
up. “Thank you for your time and effort. How  long do you think it will
take?”
Robert stood up as well and made his way to the  door to show Alec out. “Give
me a week at least. I will contact you when I was  able to form an opinion that
could be presented to Clave and Council”, he  promised and reached out to
haltingly place a broad hand on Alec’s shoulder, as  he was about to leave.
“Does your mother know?”
“Yes and so does Isabelle. We told them the day  after we made our final
decision”, Alec answered and looked him square in the  eyes, am much darker
version of his own. There had been at time when he had  almost been afraid of
his father, had craved his approval and acceptance but no  longer. As he had
said, he had found his balance with Magnus and mostly come to  terms with
Robert’s deeply rooted homophobia and animosity towards Downworlders.  “If
you are interested in meeting Henry, let me know.”
Robert let his hand sink to his side and after  a moment’s hesitation, nodded.
“Thank you. Get home safely.”
 
Magnus had waited for him outside the building,  Henry in their new baby sling
instead of the borrowed one, just the way Alec  had first seen him with the
baby. And just like then, Magnus looked just slightly  anxious when Alec came
over to them. “How’d it go? Did you give him a heart  attack?”
Alec took a second to adjust the rainbow  coloured hat Henry was wearing against
the autumn chill, a gift from Clary  after he had confined Jace into their
decision. “Not exactly but it seemed like  it for a moment. Before he went
white as a vampire and looked at me like I  betrayed the glorious name of
Lightwood.”
Alec tried to sound calm so that he would not  disturb Henry, who was very
sensitive to the moods around him. That was the  main reason Alec had asked
Magnus to not come with him to the Inquisitor,  besides that Robert was still
visibly uncomfortable when confronted with his  sons partnership. He made an
effort to act neutral, Alec had to grant him that  but it was not quite enough.
“But he will see what he can find to support us,  should we bring our request
to Clave and Council. He asked for a week to do  research on our case.”
Magnus nodded and reached for Alec’s hand to  give it a quick reassuring
press, a warm contrast to the chilly air. “Your  family name is used to shame
and betrayal, it will endure. Adopting a baby  can’t be worse than turning
into a giant demonic worm”, he was sure and smiled  affectionately. “I think
we can give the Inquisitor one week. In the meantime  we can finish the work on
Henry’s room and try to convince Maia’s pack that we  don’t need a baby
shower.”
Alec looked at him, brows furrowed in  confusion. “Why would we need a special
shower for him”, he wanted to know and  when he saw the flash of amusement in
Magnus’s eyes immediately turned red in  the cheeks. “Another mundane figure
of speech”, he assumed and his boyfriend’s  face broke into a grin. Alec
sighed and shook his head, all these silly rituals  still confused him.
“Exactly. The girls in the pack, first of all  Marcy, came up with the idea
and they say it’s their gift to me as a close  friend to their alpha. It’s a
party which friends normally throw for the  expecting mother, decorating baby
jumpers and giving presents and guessing the  baby’s gender and names and so
on”, Magnus explained and in contrast to  claiming that they did not need
this, Alec saw his eyes sparkle with pleasant  anticipation. He tried to supress
his own grin and knew he did not quite  succeed.
“Sounds like an awful lot of glitter, sequins,  drinks and music. And they
would need to decorate the apartment, right?”
“Most likely. Horrible, isn’t it? They might  even bring some of the
pups.” Magnus was a much better actor than Alec and  managed to sound almost
disgusted but again, his eyes gave him away. At least  to Alec who liked to
think he had become quite well at reading Magnus, spotting  the small gestures
and hints.
“And you totally want to have a party, even  more since it would be a party
for Henry”, Alec concluded and Magnus face lit  up like only his could, white
teeth flashing and yellow-green eyes sparking in  the autumn sun. Alec loved how
it lend a golden shimmer to his dark skin.
“You think so? Well, you may be right but I see  it as an obligation to our
Downworld friends to celebrate the arrival of the  future High Warlock of
Brooklyn”, he claimed in an important tone and with a  rather pompous gesture
around Henry, much too impressive to be serious.
Alec could not help it any longer and broke out  laughing. “Okay okay, I give
up. We will let the pack throw a party for Henry”,  he agreed and laughed
again at the plain display of triumph on Magnus’s face.  Even if he did not
know how the werewolf pack had got the news so fast, it felt  good that they
considered Magnus a close friend and therefore wanted to welcome  Henry in the
Downworld community of New York. It felt even better because his  own community
was everything but supportive, sister and close friends aside.
“Excellent. I will let Maia know as soon as we  get home.”
 
Three days later Alec was looking around their  apartment, Henry on his lap and
feeling quite out of place. He leaned over to  Magnus. “Please tell me again
why I agreed to this”, he whispered under his  breath and eyed the tray with
baby bottles that had been set down in front of  them suspiciously. Marcy was
explaining that they had to take sips out of each  bottle of multi-coloured
liquid and guess its contents. It was supposed to be  the first in a series of
games for two teams, one headed by Magnus and one by  Alec.
“Because it’s Henry’s welcome party and is  going to be fun”, Magnus
answered and shot him a radiant smile. He was clearly  enjoying himself already,
even if this party was going to be rather tame  compared to those normally
taking place in their apartment, less alcohol and  just a fraction of guests.
Alec vented a sigh and gave in, smiling away  his apprehension of coming
embarrassments. “And because you love it. Okay,  let’s get this going. Marcy
who should start?”
“Always the one asking. Here you go”, declared  Magnus before the werewolf
girl could answer and snatched one of the bottles  off the tray to place it in
Alec’s hand. The ruby coloured liquid in it looked  harmless enough, some
fruit juice or tea maybe.
Alec saw Jace hide his grin in Clary’s wild red  curls as he lifted the bottle
with its rubber nipple to his lips. Everyone  seemed pretty amused so he closed
his eyes to block out their grinning faces  and took a careful swig. “Whoa,
that’s sour”, he proclaimed and shook his head,  making a face that caused
his friends to chuckle and giggle. “Lime or lemon  juice? With food
colouring?”
“Lime. That’s the first point for team Alec”,  confirmed Marcy and put a
sparkling golden paper star on one side of an equally  sparkling violet board
under the cheers of his team, which included Clary,  Simon and Maryse whereas
Jace, Izzy and Maia had been put into Magnus’s crew. His  mother looked a bit
constrained but went along with the fun just fine. “Magnus,  you’re next.”
Marcy handed the warlock a bottle with acid  green opaque contents, which he
eyed with a raised eyebrow. “You’re not trying  to poison me, right”, he
asked before looking at Alec and, with a wink that  made the younger man blush,
started suckling. His second brow joined her raised  counterpart and he drained
half the bottle before setting it down. “I’ll keep  this, it’s
delicious.” He smacked his lips. “Coconut milk, without a doubt”, he 
announced and thus earned the first point for his team.
“Congratulations”, Alec told him with a smirk  and leaned to the side when
Magnus put his arm around him, the bottle still in  his hand. Their teammates
were taking turns now and when he was watched Jace  trying a dark blue drink and
almost immediately gagging, he could not help but  join the laughter.
Jace shot Clary an accusing glance before  guessing. “You told them to give me
Earl Grey tea, didn’t you?” Clary just  smirked and grabbed his collar to
pull him down for a quick kiss.
That seemed to appease Jace. “Fair enough.”
Alec watched their friends and family immerse  themselves in the game, snuggled
up to Magnus and letting Henry play with his  fingers. His mother seemed to
enjoy the party, even though she got grapefruit  juice to try and had to endure
her daughters mocking for not guessing it right.
In the end of the first game the score was nine  to eleven to the benefit of
Magnus’s team but during ‘Bobbing for Nibbles’,  baby photo guessing and a
rather disturbing round of ‘Name that Poo’ they were  able to catch up
thanks to Simon, who seemed to know every existing chocolate  bar. Alec had to
admit that he enjoyed the party but was still happy to skip  decorating onesies
with the glitter and sequins he had expected, to take care  of some poo that was
not made of melted chocolate.
 
“It’s a nice party, don’t you think?” He had  found Henry liked to be
talked or sung to when changing, it seemed to soothe  him. “They all came to
welcome you and Marcy organized it all. You know, I met  her on the first date I
had with your ayah”,  Alec told the small boy and sniggered at the memory of
this first embarrassing  evening.
At a small rustling sound he turned his head,  startled to see Maryse standing
in the door. She looked around the brightly  decorated room, her hands
interlinked in front of her. “Mom, is everything ok?”
Maryse smiled and gave a short nod. “Yes, sure.  I just wanted to thank you
for the invitation”, she answered and came over to  the changing table. Alec
observed with some confusion how her face changed when  she looked at Henry. The
hard lines he so often saw around her lips and eyes seemed  to vanish and turn
into a small smile. “I didn’t see you with him yet, not in  everyday
situations.”
Alec pushed a strand of his hair back behind  his ear and smirked, not really
sure what to say. “We take turns looking after  him. Magnus takes care when
I’m at the Institute or out hunting and I do the  same when he has
assignments”, he explained, feeling a bit tense because his  mother watched
his every move around the baby. He was used to it during  training but right now
it was kind of unnerving. Promptly Henry started  stirring and waving his arms
while Alec tried to get his jumper back on,  putting him at a loss in front of
his mother. “Henry, please.”
“May I”, Maryse asked and held out her hand for  the jumper and Alec gave it
to her reluctantly, moving to the side so she could  stand in front of Henry.
“You were also kind of wriggly at his age. To take you  up usually worked but
it’s more difficult to get the shirt on with one hand.”
“It does not look difficult when you do it”,  Alec had to admit after
watching her dressing Henry completely. She reached up  to smooth the boys hair
gently and close the small buttons on his collar. “Thank  you.”
Maryse, still holding the baby and allowing him  to pull at the front of her
blouse, smiled once more. “You are doing great,  Alexander. Both of you, from
what I saw. If you ever need my help let me know.”
Slowly Alec returned the smile, moved by this  compliment, and held one hand out
to her when she gave Henry back to him.  “Thank you, mom.  I know this is
not exactly what you expected  about having your first grandchild.”
She took his hand for a second and her words  were just as warm as her fingers
on his. “It doesn’t really matter what I  expected, Alec. I see how happy
you are and I’m proud of you.”
Alec had to swallow dry and could do nothing  but nod, his throat tied with
overwhelming relief.
Maryse carefully squeezed his hand before she  let go and turned to the door.
“I’ll go and see if there is still an onesie  left to decorate.”
 
After all the guests had finally headed home  and Henry was snuggled up in his
usual nest, Magnus and Alec started unpacking  the presents their friends had
left. The pile of freshly decorated onesies,  mostly glittering in various
colours, was already spread out on the low table.
“I guess this is from Jace.” Magnus held up a  small wooden sword that had a
stuffed dragon impaled on it, a slightly confused  expression on his face.
“Why does it say ‘Not extinct enough’ on the tag?”
Alec took the toy from him and grinned. “We had  an encounter with a dragon
demon a few years ago after Jace claimed they were  mostly extinct. We agreed
that ‘mostly extinct’ was not extinct enough”, he  explained and opened a
square package, wrapped in silky paper. It was a book  about childhood illnesses
and had a card on top. “This is nice. ‘Do not call me  every time he
sneezes. Call me if it is serious. Love, Catarina’”, he read out  and
chuckled. “Something practical.”
Magnus made an amused noise and grabbed an  envelope. “I may have pissed her
off last week when he had this fever because  his first tooth came through”,
he assumed and ripped the envelope open with a  glitter crusted finger, remains
of the decoration session, which had resulted  in a black playsuit with
multi-coloured stars on it. “This is from Izzy and  Simon. Looks like vouchers
for free babysitting.”
“Babysitting, sure. More like them making out  on our sofa while Henry
sleeps”, Alec commented but smiled, taking another  small, flat package from
the table. He recognized the neat handwriting on the  label and traced the
delicate letters with a finger. Inside he found a CD with  French lullabies.
“This is from my mum. I know some of these songs.”
“I saw her following you to Henry’s room  earlier”, Magnus said in a soft
voice and moved closer to Alec. “Did something  happen? You looked a bit
baffled when you came back.”
Alec looked at the CD and smiled, remembering  how she used to sing him to sleep
after nightmares. “She told me she’s proud of  me. And I think she grows
fond of Henry. It semed…I don’t know…too good to be  real?” He felt
Magnus’s hand light and warm on his cheek and like always, he turned  his head
to enhance the contact.
“It’s real enough to me. I caught her watching  you a couple of times today.
Maryse was never easy to read but it’s clear she  likes to see you as a
daddy.”
His soft words made Alec feel all warm inside  and he leaned to him for a gentle
kiss. He had meant it to be a short one but soon  found himself clinging to
Magnus, unwilling to let their sweet play of lips  end. He still tasted faintly
of coconut and when he pulled Alec closer, glitter  scrubbed off his fingers
onto Alec’s skin. A little gasp escaped Magnus as Alec  leaned in further,
pressing him down to the cushions. He felt the warlock smile  against his lips
and was about to deepen their kiss, when a crackling, hissing  sound cut through
the quiet apartment.
“Oh gosh, not now”, Magnus protested and closed  his arms around Alec,
trying to preserve the contact.
“It’s a fire message, Magnus. If we ignore it,  it will burn the
floorboards. Again”, Alec whispered and stroked his cheek with  the tip of his
nose before getting up reluctantly.
The message, burning blue-green at the edges,  was floating near the TV. Alec
plucked it out of mid-air and blew gently at the  single piece of paper to douse
the flames so he could read it.
“So who’s bothering us at this hour”, Magnus  demanded still lying on his
back, only sitting up when Alec did not respond. He  was still staring at the
letter. “Alexander?”
“It’s from my father and Consul Penhallow”,  Alec answered, surprised how
thin his voice sounded. The tone of the letter was  brusque but his contents
seemed positive. “About Henry. They offer a special  agreement, since our case
seems not to be covered by the Law. They want to  discuss it tomorrow.” Within
seconds Magnus was at his side, gently turning his  hand so he could read the
message as well. Alec tried to read his expression  and failed, unable to
interpret Magnus’s frown. “What do you think?”
“I think they try to meet our request without  involving the whole Clave.
Perhaps with a kind of contract, only covering this  very specific incident.”
Magnus looked at him and smiled, his eyes lighting up  with a mischievous
pleasure. “The Inquisitor is bending the Law for you,  Alexander.”
Alec nodded startled and folded the paper  neatly in half to put it into the
pocket of his jeans. “I hope it doesn’t  backfire. Do you have time to come
along with me tomorrow to see the Consul and  father”, he asked, uneasy at the
thought of going alone, but relaxed when  Magnus simply pulled him into his arms
and kissed him again.
 
“He doesn’t stop crying, no matter what I do.”  Alec cradled Henry against
his shoulder while walking up and down the corridor  in front of the Consul’s
office, apprehension knotting his insides into a hard  ball. The cautious
optimism his father’s message had lent him yesterday had  evaporated like
morning mist when they had arrived at the Gard to find a  Council meeting in
progress. He felt Magnus’s eyes on him, following his  restless strides.
“Because you are tense as a wire, Alexander.  Please calm down. We don’t
even know yet if the meeting has anything to do with  us. It could be
anything”, he tried to soothe him and finally stepped in Alec’s  way to
place his slender hands firmly on his shoulders. His gold-green eyes  were fixed
on Alec and dark with concern. “Relax or let me take Henry, so I can  at least
comfort him since there seems to be nothing I can do to calm you.”
Henry started to struggle against his grip,  trying to turn to Magnus and Alec
gave in, carefully placing the weeping boy in  the other man’s arms. “I’m
sorry, I know you’re right. It’s just too remarkable  to me to be a
coincidence, don’t you think? I just don’t feel prepared to argue  with the
Council, not even a small one.” His words carried little enough weight  even
when he was speaking as the representative of the New York institute, he  could
only imagine it worse if he was supposed to present a request as personal  as
this.
Alec looked at Magnus, who was very softly  wiping away the tears from Henry’s
cheeks and kissing his ivory hair before  returning his desperate gaze. Their
son had stopped crying and just snuffled  faintly, clutching the neckline of
Magnus’s shirt with one tiny blue hand. “You  are not alone. We are in this
together, remember? I will stay by your side”, he  promised and took Alec’s
hand just as the sound of footsteps echoed down the  corridor, shortly followed
by the unlike figures of Inquisitor Lightwood and  Consul Penhallow.
First thing Alec noticed was that his father  looked strained as he usually did
when meeting him with Magnus. Second thing  was that Jia Penhallow had an
affectionate smile on her lips when she looked at  Henry, which was somehow more
irritating than Robert’s frown.
“Mr. Bane, Alec. I’m sorry we made you wait”,  she greeted them and opened
the door to her office, gesturing them inside. “The  meeting took longer than
expected but I think you will forgive us once you hear  what we can offer.”
Alec felt nonplussed and sat down in the chair  she indicated, shooting a quick
glance to Magnus who seemed a little puzzled  but curious. “So you debated our
request without our attendance? That seems  quite unfair”, the warlock
commented, tilting his head to one side and  carefully placing Henry on his lap.
Robert answered, standing next to the Consuls  high backed chair. “We did not
mean to but the topic was forced into the  discussion.”
“To what conclusion?” Alec kept his eyes fixed  on his father and managed to
place his hands flat on the arms of the chair  instead of clenching them into
fists. As much as he had feared to speak in  front of the Council, not even
getting the opportunity to defend his request  was worse.
Jia placed a slim leather file on the table and  slid it over to them, still
smiling. “We offer to meet your request, provided  you agree to two
conditions”, she started to explain when Alec reached for the  file and opened
it, revealing what looked like a contract, just as Magnus had  suspected. She
continued when he looked up again. “First, the baby will have no  claim to the
name of Lightwood, nor to any family heritage other than your  personal
possessions and fortune. Second, all support or orphan’s allowances he  may
receive are limited until he turns eighteen. After that he is considered an 
adult like any other Shadowhunter or Downworlder.”
Alec looked at her and his father in turn,  unable to read Robert’s guarded
expression. “But until he comes of age he will  not be treated any different
than Shadowhunter orphans”, he broached the  subject again and sank back into
his chair when the Consul nodded.
“Except for the first condition, due to the  fact that he has no blood
relation to you in any way”, she explained but Alec  was already nodding in
approval.
Relief washed over him like a warm wave and he  extended one hand to Magnus,
felt him take it and smiled. “I agree to the  terms, Consul Penhallow. All I
wanted was to make sure Henry is provided for in  the worst case.”
“He will be as soon as you sign the agreement  you are holding. The Inquisitor
just added the final terms before we came to  meet you. Our seal is already on
it.” She offered him an elegant pen and turned  to the last page of the file
when Alec set it down on her table. Next to her  curvy signature and the
insignia of the Clave, Alec put his own name. Jia then  took the file and placed
it on the side of her table, most likely to be stored  in the archive later.
“We will send a copy to the Institute.”
“I’m very grateful. Thank you, Consul.” Alec  looked at her and to his
surprise she waved his gratitude away.
“The credit does not belong to me. And as much  as I regret it, I have to
dismiss you now”, she stated not unkindly and got up  to show them out.
It took Alec a second to comply with this  sudden request to leave and so he was
the last one at the door, Magnus and  Robert a few steps ahead of him. “Your
father really swayed the Council”, he  heard Jia whisper when he turned to say
goodbye and she closed the door before  he could reply.
Blinking at the dark, carved wood it took him a  few moments until he understood
the whole meaning of her words. He turned and  saw Magnus with Henry waiting for
him at the stairs, his father already halfway  down the corridor behind him.
Alec exchanged a short glance with Magnus when he  passed him. “I’ll be
there in a minute”, he promised and hurried after Robert as  fast as he could
without actually running.
He caught up with his father just as he arrived  at his office, his hand
extended to open the door. “Dad, wait”, he asked and  saw the surprise in
Robert’s eyes when he turned around. “I…I just wanted to  thank you. Thank
you for convincing them. I know you went out of your way for  this. I really
appreciate it.”
Robert shrugged, apparently uncertain what to  answer. “I told you before,
Alec, you are a much better man than I ever was. I  don’t want to stand in
your way to have the family you choose to have. The  heart has its reasons that
reason does not understand.” He fell silent and Alec  met his eyes, smiling
wholeheartedly.
“Thank you”, he said again and turned around to  hurry back to Magnus and
their son, so they could make their way home.



                                  Kapitel 4: 
                                  -----------


He knew everyone had nightmares from time to time, his dad had told him and he
did believe him. Still, when he woke up from his scary dreams of monsters, all
fangs and claws and leathery wings, clutching his pink piglet and panting, all
he really wanted was to crawl back into his parent’s bed, hide in the safety
of their presence. Henry knew for sure there was nothing, no monster of this
world or any other, which could harm him as long as his fathers were around.
They would never send him away, never hesitate to embrace him and watch over him
till he fell asleep again. But being almost five years old he wanted to make it
through the night on his own, show them how strong he had grown.
So when he struggled out of his tangled covers in the darkness of his room,
still hugging his piglet, he was determined to just take a short look at them,
just make sure they were really in there to protect him. Henry made his way
through the main room of their home silently, sneaking around the cat who had
rolled up in front of his parent’s bedroom door. He saw a small strip of light
under it and when he pushed it open, he could see his ayah, leaning against the
head of the bed and reading in a small white book. He looked up, his yellow eyes
shining in the dim light, when he noticed the door moving. “Hey Henry. Is
everything ok?”
Henry hugged his plushie tighter and shot a glance at the empty side of the bed.
“Where’s dad”, he wanted to know as he slowly headed for the bed.
“He’s on duty tonight. Remember, he said he’ll see you tomorrow”, Magnus
reminded him gently and put the book down on the nightstand next to the bed. He
lifted the blanket when Henry climbed into the bed and let him snuggle up to
him. “Did you have a bad dream again”, he whispered and when Henry nodded,
he put ¬his arms around him. Slimmer than Alec’s but just as strong in their
own way. “Would you like to stay here?”
The small boy nodded again and closed his eyes, already calming in Magnus’s
warm embrace. “Can you tell me one of your stories?” Had Alec been there, he
would have asked for one of his favourite lullabies, which made him feel calm
and cosy. But while Magnus had the musical talent of a rotten potato, he told
the best bedtime stories Henry knew. 
“Sure. Something new or one you know? Which one would you like to hear?”
Henry opened his eyes again and looked at his own blue hands on the fluffy pink
plush and then on the dark brown of his father’s hands. “The mage and the
warrior”, he decided and turned his small face up to look at Magnus, who
smiled at him and nodded.
“Alright.” He slid down a bit and hugged Henry with both arms before he
started his story.
“Once upon a time there was a warrior, sworn to protect the citizens of his
home town from all the dangerous creatures of the night. He had a brother in
arms, a golden warrior with angel’s blood like himself, and a fierce sister.
Together they patrolled the city day and night in search of demons, hidden from
the eyes of the normal humans. 
Then one night, on the hunt for a Shapeshifter, they met a girl who could see
through their disguises. She was not affected by the glamour they used to hide
their doing, she could see through it like only one of their world could. The
golden warrior was fascinated by her, so after this night he tried to find her
and figure out why this seemingly normal girl could glimpse into the hidden
world. And rightful so, because dark forces also took an interest in her,
because she was a special girl. She did not know it yet but she was endowed with
powers way beyond anyone’s imagination. “
Henry clutched his piglet, his eyes wide. “The power of angelic words”, he
whispered and Magnus nodded with a smile. 
“Yes but she did only find out about that a long time later. First, when the
golden boy finally found her, danger started to creep closer. Dark soldiers took
the girl’s mother hostage and left behind a demon. The girl barely escaped it
and was wounded during the fight. The golden warrior took her to his home, a
church where he and his brother in arms lived, hidden, with their family and a
tutor. They discovered that the girl was one of their kind, an angelic warrior.
And the tutor recognised her features, the flaming red hair she shared with her
mother, and told her about the past he shared with her parents. How her father
had striven for power, how he had stolen the most powerful artefact of their
people, the Mortal Cup. How her mother had seen the evil in his plans and
decided to rescue the Cup, defying her husband and fleeing the society of the
warriors completely.
They had long believed that her father was dead but now the tutor knew he was
back and searching for the stolen artefact. So the girl’s father had sent his
soldiers to take the Cup from her mother and when she would not give it to them,
they took her instead.”
Henry nodded and looked at Magnus with an excited spark in his eyes. He loved
this story and had heard it at least a hundred times. “So to get back her
mommy, she wanted to find the Cup and give it to her father”, he continued.
“But she couldn’t remember anything about her mom ever having it, right?
Because she had a spell on her mind.” 
“Do you want to continue?” Magnus chuckled when Henry’s cheeks turned a
wonderful shade of purple and gave him a small kiss on the ivory hair. 
“No. No, you go on”, he demanded and tugged at the worn ears of his plushie.
He just got so excited because he knew they were near one of his favourite parts
of the story.
“Okay. So they found out she had a spell on her mind that blocked her
memories. It was a great spell, a spell so strong that even their most skilled
healers and wise men could not lift it. All they discovered was a name, luckily
one that they knew. It was the name of the most powerful mage of the city, a man
of great power and fantastic fashion sense. Hey, don’t you laugh at me.”
Henry giggled and smiled up at his father, who made a little grumpy noise but
then continued.
“So, the warriors had to contact the mage. The only problem was, he did not
particularly like them because their kind had done him wrong in the past. But to
their luck the mage was very fond of great parties and was having one just that
night. He had invited all the magical folk of the city and somehow the warriors
managed to sneak their way into the fun. 
The mage saw them coming in and his heart skipped two beats. The first because
he knew the red haired girl very well and it was a small shock to see her so
suddenly. And the second because there was this warrior, black hair and blue
eyes, beautiful and strong and their eyes met too often for it to be accidental.
There was something in this quick glances, the way the warrior’s eyes darkened
with empathy when the mage lost his temper for a moment and gave them a small
insight into his past. It bit into his heart and so, in a headless moment when
the group was preparing to depart, he asked the young warrior to call him. But
he never did.” 
Magnus paused and Henry blinked at him. “But they met again, right? Someone
called you, I mean the mage?”
“Yes, someone did. Not so long after that evening the mage got a fire message
from the tutor. He requested his urgent help because one of the young warriors
had been badly wounded by a Greater Demon and was dying of its venom. So the
mage made his way to the home of the hunters as fast as he could, his heart
pounding. When he arrived his fear was confirmed, the wounded was the blue eyed
fighter. The mage knew, even with his magic, the potions he knew and the
heavenly power of the warrior himself it would not be easy to save him. Yet he
had to, wanted to see him live and those wonderful eyes sparkle again. So while
the golden boy and the girl went to find her mother and fight with the
werewolves at their side, the mage never left the young fighter’s sickbed. He
fed him medicines and with his magic helped him fight the demon’s venom. The
mage held his hand and tried to comfort him when he cried out in pain, when he
was delirious with fever and searching for his mother, his father and his
siblings. It took all night but when the sun came up, the warrior finally opened
his eyes, even if just for a few seconds, and the mage knew he was saved and
would live. Only then did he start to feel his own exhaustion and had to leave
his side to go home and rest.”
Even though he was excited by the story, Henry’s eyes had begun to get heavy
again. “When did they meet again”, he wanted to know, blinking against the
tiredness.
“Not long after. The mage did not expect it but some days later the warrior
showed up at his door. There was still a bruise visible where the demon had
stung him but he was completely well otherwise. And to the mages surprise the
warrior had come to him to give his thanks to him for saving his life. Few of
his kind had ever shown gratitude to the mage before but it got even more
exceptional. The young warrior confessed that he liked the mage very much and
asked if he would maybe go out with him. Which was a really brave thing to do,
because nobody knew back then that the young warrior only had romantic interests
in men and his kind did not approve of this. The mage however did not find it in
him to let the brave boy down, especially after he confessed that he had never
been kissed before. So they agreed to go on a date with each other three days
later. When the mage showed the warrior out, another strange thought came to his
mind and before rational thinking could take over, he gave him his first kiss.
Little did the mage know that by the end of the week he would have lost his
heart to the warrior, the love of his life.”
He was barely able to open his eyes again but Henry smiled happily. “And what
did they do on their date”, he mumbled.
“That’s a story for another night, little one”, he heard Magnus whisper
and through his almost closed eyes he saw his father smile. “Sleep well,
Henry. I love you very much.”
“Me too”, yawned the boy and finally fell asleep again, curled against his
father’s side.



                                  Kapitel 5: 
                                  -----------


When Alec finally came home it was almost morning and he was glad he had taken a
shower and changed out of his ruined gear at the Institute. So when he saw
Magnus and Henry in their bed, illuminated by the faint light that filtered
through the high stained-glass window, he just had to drop his sweater and jeans
and slide under the cover next to his son. The boy stirred, turning to his other
side so he was now facing Alec, luckily without waking up. Alec smiled, sinking
into his pillow and carefully pulled up the blanket. Just far enough to stay
warm but not so far that it could accidentally cover Henry’s face. He was
still kind of paranoid concerning his sleeping habits, even after almost five
years.
“I guess you had a hard night”, he heard Magnus whisper and smiled weary.
“A bit. We finally got this rough vampire though. What about you?” He
sneaked one hand over the cover to entwine their fingers, his own callused,
scarred and pale in harsh contrast to Magnus’s dark skin and glittering nails,
and nodded to their son. He felt the smooth cold metal of their wedding band on
Magnus’s finger, the only ring he never took off. He wore his counterpart on a
slim chain around his neck. 
“Nightmares again”, Magnus explained and shrugged but in his eyes was a
slight hint of worry. 
Alec frowned and looked at the sleeping boy. He seemed peaceful and relaxed now
but the nightmares, which had started a few months ago, came more frequently
now. It may be because of his profession and their experiences with strange
dreams but he did not believe in coincidences. “Let’s talk tomorrow”, he
mumbled, because right now he was too tired to think straight and felt Magnus
press his hand in return.
“Get some sleep, darling. I’ll entertain little one till you get up”, he
promised and Alec smiled while giving in to exhaustion. Strength and endurance
runes were all good and well but nothing beat real sleep on the long run.

When he woke up again it was because someone was climbing onto his back and
ruffled his hair with two little hands. 
“Daddy, wake up”, Henry demanded and bounced slightly up and down, pressing
the air out of Alec’s lungs. “Wake up, wake up, wake up. We have
pancakes!”
A mixed groan and giggle escaped Alec. It was wonderful to be woken up by this
sweet energetic boy but he was still feeling the bruises of last night’s hunt.

“Okay okay, I’m awake”, he managed to get out between the boy’s bounces
and finally rolled over, grabbing Henry when he tumbled down into the cushions
beside him and cuddling him to his chest. The boy squeaked in delight and flung
his small arms around Alec’s neck, who was relieved to find him so happy and
relaxed after the bad dreams. “Good morning.”
“Good morning”, Henry replied and was already pushing at him to get out of
his embrace, Alec giving in immediately. The boy scrambled to his feet and
started jumping up and down on the mattress, falling to his knees occasionally
and bouncing back up laughing. 
Alec shoved one arm behind his head and watched him, grinning at the sheer
energy that radiated from him. The sun painted colourful patterns on both of
them and made Henry’s ivory hair shimmer in different shades of the rainbow.
Alec treasured those carefree minutes of joy, the warm fuzzy feeling it gave
him, especially after a straining night like the last.
“Are the two of you coming already? I won’t allow breakfast in bed after the
scrambled eggs massacre of father’s day”, Magnus’s voice cut in from the
main room and Alec laughed while he sat up and Henry jumped down to the floor,
landing lithe like a cat and scurrying out the door. 
Alec followed a few seconds later, just pulling on one of the dressing gowns
Magnus always left lying around. This one was made from shining sapphire blue
silk and embroidered with silver thread, matching Alec’s own colouring.
He was surprised to find Magnus standing at the stove, pouring batter into a
pan. 
“You started the scrambled eggs massacre, not us”, he reminded his husband,
stepping behind him and planting a soft kiss on his neck. The smell of the
pancakes sizzling in the pan and the unique scent of Magnus mixed perfectly,
making Alec’s stomach rumble. “Good morning. Those pancakes smell great,”
he whispered. Magnus was really getting better at cooking, only some looked
slightly burned at the edges.
“We also have cream and syrup and Nutella”, Henry informed him, grabbing his
hand and pulling him over to the table to show him. “Chairman Meow also got
some cream but he already drank it all.”
“It looks yummy. Thank you.” Alec wondered if he had forgotten about any
special day or anniversary but could not think of anything. He decided to simply
enjoy this family breakfast and sat down next to Henry when Magnus came over,
balancing a stack of pancakes with both hands. Magnus had barely set them down
when two of them floated from the stack to Henry’s plate, perfectly in
balance, followed by the bowl of cream.
Magnus grinned wide while watching, filling his and Alec’s plate the same way.

“Very good, Henry. Your levitation spell is getting better every day”, he
said and that made Henry beam with pride. He had started teaching his son to use
his talents just a few weeks after they had adopted him. Unintentionally and
playful at first, juggling soft toys or little balls for Henry without touching
them, or telling stories with figures and scenes painted in blue flames in the
darkness of their bedroom. Soon the boy had tried to mimic his father, his
golden sparks mixing with Magnus’s blue flame, one time almost setting the bed
on fire.   
Now Alec watched them, as they tried to take the fluffy cream out of the bowl
without using the spoon, drowning his own pancakes in syrup. He was just moving
the first bite to his mouth when a walnut sized splotch of cream flew right into
his face, hitting directly between his eyes. Taken totally off-guard Alec just
blinked at them, Henry holding his fork and giggling, Magnus wide eyed and
pointing one bejewelled finger at their son, doing his best to appear completely
innocent and failing. Wiping the cream out of his eyes with his fingers, Alec
tried not to laugh, not entirely successful himself. 
“Is this a training session now? Or do you think I need a face mask?”
“I usually use curd cheese and cucumber for face masks not whipped cream”,
Magnus informed him, clearly speaking without thinking and Alec could not hold
back the laughter anymore.
“So it’s training? What for? Fighting lactose intolerant werewolves? ”
“Hum… interesting idea. But how would you know if it worked? Follow them
around and wait for them to fart?” Magnus was grinning now and Henry still
chuckled while munching his breakfast.
“Ugh, no. I’m certainly not sniffing any werewolf backsides”, Alec refused
and got up to get the rest of the cream out of his face. “But thanks for the
vivid image in my mind.” 
They finished their breakfast without more food flying around and when Henry put
down his mug, Alec exchanged a quick look with Magnus, who nodded and turned
towards the boy. 
“Little one, before you run off to play, can we talk about last night”, he
asked and Henry looked up at him, seeming confused.
“Everything is fine, Henry. We’d just like to know what your bad dreams are
about”, Alec explained. He wanted to make sure their son knew they were here
for him. “Can you tell us?”
Henry nodded and looked from Magnus to Alec before he started talking. 
“I don’t remember every dream. But they are all similar. Someone is calling
me in the dark but not by my name and I think it is not our language”, he
started and Alec noticed that his husband’s eyes turned a darker shade, the
pupils reduced to narrow slits. “And when I don’t answer they come closer,
all dark bodies and talons and fangs. And they try to take me with them.” The
boy’s voice trailed off and he blinked rapidly, eyes shining a bit too bright.
“Most times I wake up just before they get me.”
Alec stood up to kneel beside his chair and carefully take him into his arms. 
“It’s ok, Henry. You know we would never let that happen, right? No monster
or demon will ever take you away. You can always come to our room. We protect
you”, he assured him and felt Magnus’s fingers brush his face when he
stroked Henry’s hair. 
“We love you”, the older warlock added and their presence helped Henry brush
off the memory of the nightmares and fear that came with them. He sniffed and
cuddled closer to Alec for a moment before freeing himself from his father’s
hug.
“I know. Can I go? I want to play juggling balls”, he asked and Alec let him
go with a loving smile. 
“Off you go.” He got up as Henry slipped from the chair and scurried to his
own room, already forgetting about their conversation. 
Alec sat down next to Magnus and watched his husbands face carefully. His eyes,
lined in cobalt blue today, were narrow and he still looked after Henry, lips
set in a thin line.  
“You are worried”, Alec concluded and furrowed his brow when Magnus nodded
without taking his eyes off their son. “Why?”
“This sounds fishy to me. I’d almost bet the monsters call him in some kind
of demon tongue”, Magnus started and finally switched his gaze to Alec, an
unusual deep line appearing between his eyes. “You know that warlocks have a
special bond to their demon fathers and how they can influence us.”
Alec bit his lip, remembering the first and hopefully last encounter with
Magnus’s own father. 
“You think it’s his sire, sending him those dreams? But why?” The thought
of a demon in or near Henry’s mind made Alec’s stomach clench. “Could he
influence him like Lilith did with Jace?”
Magnus ran a hand through his messy black hair and shrugged while shaking his
head at the same time. 
“I’m not sure. It depends on how powerful he is. He surely has to be in our
dimension or else he would not be able to reach out to him this way.” Alec
could see how disturbed Magnus was by this thought, the muscles in his neck
tight and his shoulders strained and it spread to himself. If Magnus looked so
concerned, there was a reason to worry.
“So what do we do? Can we block his access to Henry by any means? Maybe move
to the Institute for some time?” He normally would not consider moving in with
his mother and siblings, knowing that housing two warlocks at the Institute
would put his mother in a difficult situation, but if Henry was threatened by a
demon, he had a right to the shelter and help of the Clave. Doubly because he
was Alec’s son.
“I will put up some protection spells and you could rune the door and
windows”, Magnus suggested and got up, looking determined now. “I’m not
putting any spells on Henry, not as long as we don’t know for sure what we are
dealing with. I’ll teach him some defensive spells though.” He looked at
Alec and pointed to his working area, a cluttered wooden desk with a massive
drawer behind it.
Alec nodded and got up too, gathering up the remains of their breakfast. 
“I wanted to wait till his fifth birthday but maybe I should start weapons
training with him earlier.” He already had a wooden staff of the right size
made for Henry.
Magnus sighed and Alec knew he did not like the thought of their little boy
handling even blunt weapons so soon but he nodded. 
“Given the circumstances, you are right. So I guess you’ll be going to the
Institute with him?”
“I can take him this afternoon”, Alec answered and put the dishes into the
sink, intending to clean them later. First he was going to get his stele and do
his part in protecting their home.

A few and uneventful days later Alec closed the door to Henry’s room quietly
behind him after putting the boy to bed and padded over to the sofa where Magnus
was laying, the Chairman stretched out over his chest and belly. 
“I guess if tonight is as peaceful as the last we can say the spells are
working”, Alec mused and sat down next to them. Magnus moved up and rested his
head on Alec’s tight.
“I hope so. I put up some pretty strong stuff, just in case. At least he is
sleeping without bad dreams so far.”
“That’s a first success”, Alec agreed and reached over to scratch the cat
behind its small ears. The Chairman started to purr and Alec saw Magnus lips
curl at the corners as the low sound resonated in his body. “Plus he is doing
really well with the staff. He gave Jace a whack square over the head today.
Made him sit down like a stunned duck”, he told him and Magnus chuckled. 
“Maybe I should come watch your training tomorrow. That’s a sight I’d love
to see.” He grinned mischievously and winked at Alec, who snickered and bent
down to kiss Magnus on the forehead. 
“I know you like to see Jace being humiliated but actually he was really proud
of Henry”, he whispered just as his lips travelled over Magnus’s nose, his
soft cheek, picking up smudged eyeshadow. He felt his love smile and turn his
head to meet his lips, one hand sliding over his shoulder to his neck, long
fingers sneaking into Alec’s hair and pulling him closer. Just as Alec started
to gently tease along Magnus’s lower lip with his tongue and teeth the warlock
went all rigid and broke their contact. “Are you alright? Did I hurt you?”
Alec wondered if maybe he had bit him a bit too hard but Magnus shook his head
and held up his hand to make him stay quiet. The warlock suddenly seemed all
alert and tense and that was enough to make Alec sit up straight and look
around, straining his ears for anything unusual. 
Magnus pushed the cat from his lap and got to his feet, eyes darting through the
loft, checking the windows and door. 
“Something is trying to get in”, he finally breathed and Alec was up and
heading for the coatrack by the door, grabbing his weapons belt he had left
there earlier. He had barely unsheathed two daggers when a sound like ripping
silk but ten times louder cut through the silence, followed by the faint tinkle
of shattering glass and a child’s scream.



                                  Kapitel 6: 
                                  -----------


“Henry”, was all they both said as they sprinted to his room. Magnus got
there first and blasted the door open with a shower of blue sparks, rushing into
the unlit room and sending another wave of magic against a dark shape Alec could
not identify clearly. It seemed to waver at the edges and there was a flash of
burning yellow spots somewhere between the blue flames attacking it. An Iblis
demon.
He dashed into the room himself, both daggers ready, frantically searching for
any sign of Henry. Magnus attacked the bulky shape again and it got thrown
against the bright yellow wardrobe, crashing the wood with its weight and the
force of the magic charge. Where it had stood before, on the other side of the
bed, Alec could now see a bubble of golden sparks on the floor and Henry’s
piglet a few inches beside it.
Trusting Magnus to keep the Iblis demon at bay long enough, Alec jumped and
rolled across the bed, landing in a low crouch right next to the cocoon. 
“Henry! I’m here, it’s going to be ok. Let’s get out.” Another crash
and an ear piercing screech behind them, accompanied by a colourful stream of
curses from Magnus, told Alec that the fight was moving closer to them again. He
shot a glance behind him, only seeing Magnus’s silhouette against another
massive shower of blue flames. A second later his attention was caught up by his
son, who had dropped the protective spell and instead thrown himself at Alec. He
could feel the boy shiver as he dropped one dagger, put an arm around him,
pressed him tight to his torso, and got up to head for the door. “Magnus! I
got him”, he yelled and scrambled back over the bed.
“Get cover”, Magnus shouted in reply and Alec knew better than to argue. He
made for the door, rushing to the side and ducked behind the kitchen counter,
Henry still pressed against himself with one arm, as the room behind them
exploded in blue fire and an unearthly scream. Pure instinct made Alec curl
around his son to cover him as much as he could, pressing Henry’s head against
his chest. 
The silence and dimness that followed made Alec’s ears throb with his rapid
pulse and he had to fight down the wave of fear that threatened to wash over
him. What had Magnus done? Was he alright? Why did he not hear him? Did Henry
move? 
“Henry, are you hurt”, he whispered and carefully untangled him from his
embrace, ran a sweaty hand through the boy’s hair. Henry looked up at him,
eyes wide and tears streaming down his face but shaking his head. “Stay here.
Stay behind me”, Alec instructed him and turned around, creeping to the corner
of the kitchen on his knees, remaining dagger at the ready. He could now hear
the low crackle of fire and smell the sharp tang of magical discharge. Another
noise caught his attention, scuffling, erratic steps coming closer. Alec changed
his grip on the dagger, the tip now pointing to his elbow, and gestured for
Henry to be quiet and stay where he was. Then he rolled out of the cover, sprang
to his feet and at the shape in front of him, aiming where he suspected its
throat. Only a split second before crashing into his opponent he recognized a
flicker of golden eyes and stopped dead, the blade within an inch of Magnus’s
rapid pulse.
“It’s dead. It’s alright”, Magnus whispered and very gently placed his
hands on Alec’s shoulders, who dropped the weapon, buried his hand in his
husband’s messy hair and pulled him close. Magnus smelled bitter, of burned
sugar and smoke and demon but he was alive and seemed unhurt.
“By the Angel. I nearly killed you”, Alec sighed against Magnus’s neck. He
felt the other man’s arms slide around him, pressing Alec against him just
like he had held Henry just seconds before.
“You didn’t”, Magnus assured him and just as gently pushed him away. He
had ash and splinters in his hair and grime mixed with his destroyed makeup
around his eyes. “Is Henry ok? We need to get out of here. I think there are
more of them near.”
“I’m ok”, they heard Henry’s muffled voice and turned around. The boy
was still sitting on the floor but had somehow gathered up Chairman Meow, who
looked uneasy but held still, and had buried his face in the cat’s fur.
“What kind of demon was that?”
“They are called Iblis”, Magnus explained as he picked up both of them.
“And they usually hunt in groups. We have to get out of here.”
“You blew up the whole room because of one Iblis?” Alec looked at him in
confusion but Magnus just shrugged, placing a gentle kiss on Henry’s Hair.
“I got a bit carried away”, he just said and nodded to the door. “Let’s
go before more of them come at us.”
Alec nodded and brushed some debris out of Magnus’s hair. 
“I’ll just get my weapons and call Jace, tell him to get the car and pick us
up”, he murmured and rushed to the bedroom. He kept a stack of seraph blades,
bow and arrows and a spare set of gear in a metal chest in their closet. Within
a minute he had grabbed what he needed, equipped himself and was back at Magnus
and Henry’s side, cell phone in hand. “Okay, we will head your way.” He
hung up and buckled his second weapons belt. 
“I’ll go first”, he decided and Magnus, who still carried Henry and the
cat and looked slightly worn out, nodded. Alec took out a seraph blade and
whispered a name to it, making the Adamas glow. He carefully opened the door to
the hallway, checking every corner before he gestured for Magnus and Henry to
follow. Carefully they picked their way down the stairs and to the front door. 
He pulled it open just a crack to check the street for other nasty surprises.
The pavement was empty and a cab rushed by on the street, stirring up the
inevitable debris that collected in the gutters. 
“Looks clear. Stay close to me”, Alec murmured and moved forward, feeling
Magnus follow him. They hurried down the street, eyes darting around vigilantly,
checking every shadow, every gap between cars or buildings before going on. They
made it two blocks down the road and stopped to let a bright red truck pass
before attempting to cross the street. 
The second Alec set his foot down on the asphalt a figure appeared where the
truck had been just the other moment. It had the stature of a bald, bulky man,
clad in what looked like a mundane business suit of deep red fabric that let his
skin look an eerie white. They stopped dead as the man turned to face them and
fix his completely black eyes on them. 
“You didn’t really think you could outrun me, did you?” His voice was deep
and soft, almost musical. He tilted his head to one side, locked eyes with
Magnus and grinned so wide it contorted his face into a grimace. “Oh what a
wholesome little family you got yourself, brother.” 
Magnus made a low hissing noise and pressed Henry closer to his chest. 
“I’m not your brother. Leave us alone”, he demanded and Alec hoped he was
the only one to hear the slight wavering in his voice. The demon waved his hand
dismissively and shrugged. 
“Brother, half-brother, whatever. Technicalities. Your father is my father,
albeit in other ways.” His eyes flickered to Henry. “And I came to claim the
child. My child.”
Alec stepped in front of his husband and Henry, blocking the demons line of
sight. 
“You’ll not get him”, he snarled and in the blink of an eye switched the
seraph blade for his bow, an arrow nocked and aimed at the demon. “He did not
get Magnus and he will not get Henry either.”
“You think you can stop me from taking what’s mine, little Shadowhunter?”
It made an amused noise and started to saunter forward. “You think you can
defeat us on your own?” On that shapes started to peel out of the shadows on
the other side of the street, yellow eyes burning hungry. A low rumbling noise
seemed to come from above but Alec did not dare to take his eyes off the Eidolon
that still moved towards them, grinning like a maniac. “Stupid little
Sha…”, it sneered but was cut off abruptly and catapulted to the side by
something that dropped out of the sky. 
Alec caught a glimpse of spinning wheels and chrome and a blond shock of hair as
screeching wheels hit the demon and the ground. 
“Jace!” Alec saw his parabatai jump as the motorcycle bucked and lurched
under him, dragging the demon with it and into a parked car. He landed in a low
crouch, grinning and a shimmering blade in his hand a second later.
“Yeah? Thought I’d leave all the fun to you?” Jace backed away from the
crashed bike so that he was at Alec’s side.
“I told you to pick us up! We need to get Henry to the Institute”, Alec
shouted as the Iblis closed in on them, unimpressed by Jace’s dramatic
entrance and the knock out of their leader. 
“Got that covered, don’t worry. Simon will be here any minute. He’s the
better driver anyway”, Jace informed him and darted forward to dispose of the
first advancing demon. 
Alec had no time to be mad at him when he heard Magnus shout a warning from
behind and he had to let his arrow fly. Training and instinct took over as he
and Jace fought off the attacking Iblis, moving with and around each other,
blocking the demon’s way to Magnus and Henry.
He was not marked for a battle but he felt the familiar tingle of his parabatai
rune, felt the additional strength that fighting beside Jace lent him. The last
Iblis fell, one of Alec’s arrows already lodged in his wavering body when Jace
buried his blade next to it. 
Alec’s eye darted to where the bike had smashed the Eidolon into the car and
was not surprised to see the man on his feet again. Talons had erupted from his
arms and the pale human skin was peeling back in places, revealing blood red
flesh that seemed to move in its own way. 
“Tough cookie”, Jace laughed and wiped ichor from his blade. The fire of
battle burned in his golden eyes but instead of making him fear for Jace it made
Alec calm and gave him assurance. They had taken down worse demons than this
arrogant shape shifter.
“Where is Simon”, Alec growled and since he had run out of arrows, grabbed
his own blade again. 
Right on cue a familiar pick-up truck turned the corner and sped past the demon
in their direction. He could see Simon behind the wheel and his sister jumped
from the cabin even before they came to a halt next to them. 
“Come on, get in”, she yelled and Alec spun around to see Magnus wrench open
the back door and push Henry and Chairman Meow inside. 
A high pitched screech came from the demon that seemed to realize that his prey
was about to escape. It sprang forward, raging for the truck and Alec moved
without thinking, reacting even faster than Jace. He threw himself in the demons
path, brought his blade up hard with both hands, screaming. It buried into the
thing’s chest, ichor streaming down the hilt and burning Alec’s hands, the
creature’s talons raking his back. Alec did not care. The muscles in his arms
shot bolts of pain through his body but his legs kept pushing, shoving them both
away from his family until the demon’s legs gave way and it fell, already
turning to dust and shadows. 
Alec’s knees hit the ground hard and the hilt slipped from his stained hands,
the burned out Adamas shattering on the asphalt. Panting, Alec stared at the
vanishing remains of the demon and barely noticed the pain at his hands and of
the cuts on his back. The familiar sting of his brother’s stele on his arm
cleared his head and he looked up to meet Isabelle’s concerned gaze. 
“Henry? Magnus?”
“Safe in the car. Come on, get up. Let’s go home”, she answered and Jace
finished the Iratze. The pain abated slowly and together they pulled him to his
feet. Alec winced and leaned on his brother to walk back to the car, brushing
off Jace’s arm when he saw the two anxious warlocks on the backseat, waiting
for him. He did not say a word, just scrambled in and wrapped his arms around
Henry, felt Magnus embrace them both. 
“Stupid Nephilim”, his husband whispered and Alec’s back started prickling
softly, telling him that the warlock let magic flow from his fingers to heal
what the single Iratze had not covered. Alec just buried his nose in Henrys soft
hair and did not answer as the pick-up started to move. He heard Simon and
Isabelle talk and then the small voice of his son. 
“Dad? Did it hurt you bad?”
Alec shook his head and slowly let go of Henry to look at him. The boy’s
pyjama was stained with blood where Alec had hugged him and he anxiously looked
up at his father.
“I’m okay, Henry. Just some scratches, don’t worry. You know how quickly
Runes and magic help me heal”, he answered and cracked a smile that Henry
returned after a slight hesitation. Magnus finished patching up his husbands
back and gently pushed him into the seat. 
“You stupid Nephilim”, he repeated. Alec met his gaze and his smile turned
into a crooked grin. He knew what Magnus really meant. Thank you for saving us.
I love you and I do not want to lose you. 
“But I’m your stupid Nephilim”, the Shadowhunter answered and got pulled
towards Magnus in return, who sealed his lips with a passionate kiss. 
That brushed away the last bit of battle induced tension in Alec and he felt
exhaustion creeping up on him. 
“Let’s just sleep at the Institute and tomorrow we check on the loft. See
how bad the damage is”, he suggested and Magnus nodded. 
“We can fix that soon enough. Now get some rest, darling.”
“Once we get to the Institute”, Alec agreed and yawned. He felt Henry
cuddling up to him and slid one arm around the boy, finally feeling that they
were safe again.



                                  Kapitel 7: 
                                  -----------


Alec paced up and down in front of the large window, each time turning just half
a step away from the opposite wall. Jace lay sprawled on the bed, his arms
crossed behind his head and Alec could feel his eyes following him. He did not
need to look at his brother to know his mouth was quirked up at the corners and
his golden eyes glinted with amusement. 
“You will walk holes into the carpet and if you don’t stop fidgeting with
your bow tie I think Izzy will kill you.” Alec, who had indeed been tugging at
his emerald bow tie again because he felt like it was suffocating him, dropped
his hands. Jace chuckled and sat up when Alec turned around to look at his best
man. 
“I’m nervous, Jace. Not that I expect you to understand but that’s just
it. And this thing is too tight”, he grumbled and walked to the bed, fell down
next to his brother. 
“Relax, Alec. It’s your wedding, nothing to be terrified. Or are you getting
cold feet about this”, he inquired and Alec averted his eyes, looking out of
the window again. 
“No. I’m absolutely sure about this. About as sure as I was about us
becoming Parabatai”, Alec answered and sighed when a swarm of golden sparkling
butterflies flew up from the pavilion in the garden of the Herondale manor.
“Maybe I’ll regret to allow Isabelle to organize the whole thing. It got
so… so pretentious.” He sighed again and got up from the bed. 
Jace laughed and got up himself, straightening his dress shirt. 
“Stop fretting about what others may think about the ceremony or the
celebration. Concentrate on what’s important today”, he demanded and put one
strong arm around Alec’s shoulders. “Me looking spectacular in this awesome
suit. Oh and you finally turning Magnus Bane into a respectable man.”
“Jace, you’re a stupid jerk”, Alec muttered but could not fight back a
smile. In the end Jace was right. Today was about Magnus and him, their love and
their little family. 
“Love you too, brother”, Jace chuckled and let him go when the door opened
and Isabelle whizzed into the room. Her bright blue dress swirled around her
legs and she eyed her brothers suspiciously. They seemed to pass her examination
and she took the waistcoat and jacket from the hook by the door. The suit she
had picked for Alec was not black but a very dark blue, decorated with delicate
angelic runes in golden thread at the collar and hems. 
“Jem sent me up to fetch you. Everyone is taking their seats. Catarina has
caught Henry and secured the rings and Tessa is on her way to get Magnus”, she
explained and handed the clothing to Alec. As soon as she had her hands free,
Isabelle started to tug at his hair, twirling some strands gently between her
fingers. “There you go.” She turned to Jace and raised an eyebrow. “And
will you please put your tie back on? This is a wedding, not some leisure garden
party.”
Jace obeyed with a grin and gently clapped Alec on the shoulder. 
“So let’s go. And don’t you dare to bunk off. I won’t marry Magnus in
your stead, no matter how hot we’d look together”, he said and pushed his
brother towards the door. 
“He won’t run, Jace. Stop bothering him and get your tie straight”,
Isabell grumbled and got hold of the crooked tie herself, pulling Jace to her on
it to redo the knot. He tried to protest but due to the lack of air, all Jace
managed was a faint croaking noise.
Alec left them at their quarrel and headed for the stairs that would lead him
down to the first floor of the manor. It still smelled kind of musty even though
they had done their best to clean and air the place. Years of vacancy had left
their marks on the manor but it was still an impressive building, with its high
ceilings and French windows that looked out to the garden. He and Magnus had
been accommodated at opposite ends of the house since their arrival and Isabelle
had insisted that they stayed away from each other. She did not really believed
in bad luck but she had taken them shopping separately for today and did not
want them to spoil the surprise of what they were wearing. 
Not that it had really kept them from sneaking out last night and meet anyway.
Alec smiled on his way to the backdoor that would lead him to the garden, lost
in memories of their midnight date. 
Isabelle had gotten Catarina and Tessa to conjure up two corridors of hedges, so
that Magnus and Alec would be concealed from each other’s view until they
entered the pavilion where James Carstairs, former Silent Brother, was waiting
to marry them.  
He waited at the last turn of his way for the music to call them both in,  for
now just hearing the muffled sound of people taking their seats, talking and
laughing. Between all the voices Alec recognized a child’s laughter and it
made him smile even wider. Henry was going to be their ring bearer, with the
gentle assistance of Catarina to make sure the toddler came running to his
parents at the right moment. 
The busy noises subsided slowly and after a few seconds of silence, soft music
started. Alec closed his eyes, took a deep breath, his nervousness piling up
inside, and he tried to let go as much of it as possible while breathing out.
Then he took a shaking step, turning the corner to the front part of the
pavilion. 
His eyes darted around, recognizing Jem in the middle of the small clear space,
Tessa and Jace standing a few steps to both sides as their man and maid of
honour, his family in the first of the few rows of chairs. Alec blushed and,
after what seemed like a much longer time than just a split second, looked at
the opposite side of the pavilion, the exit of the second corridor.
It was empty and Alec paused, waiting for his husband-to-be to appear. He took
another small step, the smile on his face slowly turning into a look of
confusion. The leafy passage remained empty, no sparkly, grinning warlock in
sight. 
Jace noticed his confusion and turned to Tessa, who looked just as puzzled and
shrugged before turning around. She vanished into the corridor without a word
and Jace took a quick step to Alec’s side. 
“Maybe Izzy forced him into a dress and he’s taking a last chance to change
into something more decent”, he tried to cheer Alec, who was still staring at
the empty patch of grass where Magnus should have been. 
“He’d totally rock a dress”, he heard himself mumble and blinked a few
times before looking at Jace. His brothers golden eyes scanned him carefully,
obviously trying to assess how badly hurt Alec was and if he was required to
plot vengeance for a broken heart. Behind them the guests started mumbling and
Alec thought he heard his father say something along the line of ‘told you
so’. 
“I’ll go looking for him”, he decided and brushed past Jace, leaving the
confused guests behind, resolutely fighting back the tears. This was exactly
what he had been afraid of since last night. Not himself getting cold feet but
Magnus not showing up. 
Tessa came down the stairs to the first floor, when he entered the kitchen
through the second back door. Alec did not want to see the pity in her eyes, so
he looked past her. 
“Did he do a bunk or is he still here?” The question came out brusquer than
he had meant it to be but Tessa just shook her head. 
“He’s upstairs, locked himself in his room. Go talk to him, I guess you’re
the only one he may let in.” 
“Thanks, Tessa. Please tell the others we’ll be back in a few minutes.” 
His burning eyes still fixed on the stairs, Alec waited till Tessa had left the
house before rushing up, taking three steps at a time.




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