Chapter 28 – Mission Plans & Extractions 

Part 1

This story in not intended for readers under the age of 18! I am in no way responsible for readers under the age of 18

I own no rights to the pictures you will see within this chapter. Several all belong to the Shadowhunters TV series 

Sitting beside the pond Alec tossed bits of bread to the duck and its goslings, watching the water ripple as the small goslings scrambled for his bits of bread. All he had done since he had opened his eyes that morning was think of the past. Tossing his bits of bread, he had relived every moment he'd ever spent with his Clare-bear. The good, the bad, and the ugly. He remembered the first time he had heard her tinkling laugh when they were little long before they had formed their team and began to train. Before they had become a family.

He remembered every moment of the pain the monster that was her father had caused her. He remembered every foul word said to her and all the tormenting she had endured by most of the Shadowhunter Word because of his actions, his evil.

He remembered clearly the day he had confronted Valentine when she had shown up for training with a blackeye and the beating he had given him. His own words had echoed in his ears. 'For every bruise she has you'll have broken bones to match.' That was the day he had started giving her extra one on one training sessions. Never again had she turned up for anything with so much as a hair out of place.

He still remembered holding her and her tears when her mother had died. And he remembered her mother, Jocelyn Frey. Jocelyn had always been kind to him. He had thought back to the day that she had found him alone in the dining hall late one morning after one of his training sessions with Hodge. He had been so very tired that day. So sleepy that Hodge had cut him loose early. 'Since you can't seem to focus' he had said.

Not having friends and not knowing what else to do he had gone down to the dining hall and just sat. He hadn't wanted to study books on demons or languages or anything else, so he had just sat there alone.

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there before she had come along. She had seemed surprised to see him. She had asked him if he'd had a fight with his friends and if they hadn't wanted to play anymore. He couldn't tell her the truth. He couldn't tell her that he didn't have any friend or that he'd never been able to play. He couldn't tell her that he wasn't allowed to play and had long since given up on the hope that he ever would be. So he had just shrugged his shoulders.

He had remembered her kind smile, his Clare-bear's smile as she'd brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. He had remembered her asking him if he wanted a treat. He had been surprised. He'd never had a treat before, not really, so he had waited while she disappeared back into the kitchen.

He had been so excited and curious to know what her treat would be, but he hadn't had to wait long to find out. She had come back with a small piece of angel food cake covered with sweet strawberries and cream. There were more strawberries than there was cake and cream since Shadowhunters didn't do much in the way of carbs. But it had been wonderful. Just having her treat had been wonderful.

He had remembered how she had sat with him while he ate one of his now favorite 'splurge' foods. He didn't have many and only had them on rare occasions.

Sitting by the water he couldn't help but think of how much his Clare-bear was like her mother, always kind with a kind smile. He could see her doing the exact same thing to try and comfort and cheer up a sad and lonely child.

He had been fighting since the moment he had opened his eyes that morning to not think about the words he had spoken the night before and to not think about the pain and suffering he knew that his parabatai had been feeling because of their bond. He had wanted to think happy times. Good times. And he had remembered all of them along with everything else in between.

"You seem lost in thought." Belle said as she sat down beside him on the soft grass.

"I suppose I am." He said, taking in the sight of his great, great grandmother with her long raven hair and pink flowy dress.

"Surprised to see me?" She asked.

"A bit." He said, tossing more bits of bread to the squawking duck and its goslings. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he had forgotten to give them more. "Why are you here?"

"You're upset." She said.

"I've been upset before." He said, setting his small loaf of bread aside.

"I know. More than your fair share." She said, picking up his bread and tossing more bits to the goslings. "You're thinking of your parabatai."

"Yes." He said softly, watching the duck and the little goslings gobble up her bread. "It's not fair."

"You're worried about her." She said.

"Wouldn't you be?" He asked.

"Yes, I suppose I would be." She said. "She's strong, Alec."

"I never said that she wasn't." He said. "She's actually the strongest person I've ever known."

"I know. She thinks the same of you." She said, setting the bread aside. "I told you that you were fated to be together."

"And this was her fate?" He asked, a flare of anger sparking in his crystal blue eyes. "To suffer because of me?"

"It doesn't have to be." She said.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"For you." She said, pulling out a small folded piece of paper from the small pocket in her dress and holding it out for him to take.

"What is it?" He asked. Taking it from her he carefully unfolded the paper. He knew what it was the moment he saw it. It was a rune, a rune he had never seen before.

"What you wanted." She said. "A shield for Clarissa."

"You mean..." He started.

"That you can spare her the pain of your visions." She said, cutting him off. "Yes. All you must do is apply it to her skin as you would any other rune."

"Where did it come from?" He asked softly, gazing at the piece of paper in his hand, taking in every curve and line of the precious rune.

"Where do you think, silly." She said. "He does hear you; you know. He's always heard you."

"Why didn't he send this before?" He asked.

"That I cannot say." She said. "Not because I don't want to but because I don't know. I guess that's why I'm here. To give you that."

"And it couldn't have come in a vision?" He asked.

"I think that you've had quite enough of those for the moment." She said. "And he knew that if it did that you wouldn't know what it was for. And he didn't want to give you what you have ached so much for and its purpose not be known to you."

He nodded yes. He understood. He was beyond happy that The Angel had sent it, beyond thankful. He had to admit that The Angel had been right. Had it come in a vision he wouldn't have known what it was for. And after the day before having a ghost deliver it was much more appealing than having another skull splitting vision.

"I'm not a ghost, Alec." She said as if she had read his mind. "I believe that I've already told you that."

"I know." He said. "But if you're not a ghost what are you?"

"Hey, you." Clary said behind him.

"Clary." He said, his head whipping around at the sound of her voice.

"Who are you talking to?" She asked.

"Um..." He started.

"Belle again?" She asked. When he hesitated, she sat down beside him on the soft grass where Belle had sat seconds just before.

"You know about that?" He asked.

"Magnus told me." She said.

"You probably think I'm crazy." He said.

"Why would I think you're crazy?" She asked. "You have visions from The Angel, Alec. I see new runes. A lot of people would think that's crazy. Izabella and Gideon thought it was crazy. But that didn't make it any less true."

"I know." He said softly. His grandmother and uncle had thought it was crazy.

"Besides, it's not like she didn't give us some pretty important information." She said.

"So everyone knows?" He asked.

"No." She said. "Just me. Well, and Magnus."

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "You should be at your morning training lesson."

"To see you, silly." She said, mock punching him in the arm. He didn't miss that she had used the same words that Belle had. "My training lesson is being covered. It's not going to hurt anything that I'm not there for one lesson. Besides, you're more important. Are you going to tell me why she came?"

"To give me this." He said, handing her the small piece of paper.

She took the paper from his hand, studying it carefully. It was a rune that she had never seen before.

"What is it?" She asked.

"A shield." He said. "For you."

"A shield?" She asked. "I don't understand."

"It's to protect you." He said softly. "From the effects of my visions."

She studied the paper again, looking over every curve and line.

"No." She said, handing the paper back.

"Clary..." He started.

"No, Alec." She said, cutting him off. "You're my parabatai. Good or not so good, you're my parabatai. I won't use this."

"I don't want to see you hurt." He said. "I've already left you vulnerable in the field once. I can't do that again. I won't."

"Alec, what happened that day wasn't because of a vision." She said. "You have to let that go. It wasn't your fault. That was on us. Me, Iz, Jace, and Si. It was our fault."

"It wasn't..." He started.

"Yes it was." She said, cutting him off again. "We were the ones who didn't do what we should have done. Had we been there for you the way you've always been there for us you wouldn't have almost died.

It's our fault that you were so exhausted. So drained. We should have helped you and we didn't. We knew the moves that you were teaching in those training classes. We could have said 'I'll take this one, Alec. You go get some rest.' Or 'Go take a break. Get something to eat', and we didn't.

We knew how much you had on you and we did nothing to help. We're a family. We should have helped our brother. But we didn't and you ran yourself into the ground.

There were so many things that we could have done. That we should have done. We could have helped with the field and incident reports. We all know how to fill them out. All they would have needed was your signature. Had we helped you wouldn't have spent hours working on them every night. Together we could have knocked them out in no time.

It's not your fault that things went down the way they did. It's ours and we know it. We let you down."

"Clary." He started, unsure what to say. His heart was breaking. His family was blaming themselves for his failure. If he had just been stronger none of it would have happened.

"Don't do it, Alec." She said. "Don't say that it was 'your responsibility' or 'your job'. We're a team. A family. And we didn't act like one. And as for that rune, no. I won't use it."

"I can't let you get hurt again, Clary." He said. "This will protect you. What happens if I have a vision while you're training? While you're on the high beam or working with blades? What if we're in combat fighting a demon. If I have one then...." He started, unable to finish. "You're my parabatai. I'm supposed to protect you. And yesterday. What about yesterday? I almost died and as my parabatai..." He said, unable to speak the words. If he died, she would feel the pain of his death, of her grief from their bond being broken forever. She would feel it every moment of every day. It would be an excruciating pain that never went away.

"I know." She said softly. "But you didn't. Was yesterday a great day? No. It wasn't. But you have to have a little faith in The Angle with this, Alec. The Angel isn't going to let you die. You're meant to lead us in this war. A war he chose you to end.

As for yesterday, I wasn't training or in combat. Did it hit me pretty hard? Yes. But not as hard as it hit you. And as bad as it was for me, I was more worried about you.

If you think about it, you haven't had a vision when either of us were in dangerous situations. With every vision you've had we've both been safe. I really don't think that The Angel is going to send you one when either of us are in some form of danger.

I would rather feel some of the effects of your visions than not. That way if you have one I'll know that you need help. Without them how will we know that you're in trouble if you're off somewhere alone? What if you're by yourself at the archery range and no one's around? What if you're at the cottage and Magnus isn't there? What if you're off miles away having your solo time?

I think that's why our bond is so strong now. I think that I'm meant to feel as much as I do so I can be there for you. So we can know what's wrong and help you. Like you said, were parabatai. We're supposed to look after each other. And I don't think that The Angel will let anything happen to me because of what it would do to you. So again, no. I won't use that rune."

He sighed. He knew that he wasn't going to change her mind. She could be just as stubborn as he was when she wanted. And when she was, he knew that she wouldn't budge.

"I'll never forgive myself if something happens to you." He said. "It's my job to protect my parabatai. To protect you. To watch over you. All of you."

"No, Alec. It's not." She said gently. "Like I said, we're supposed to protect each other. And you taught me how to do that. We're also a team. A family. And you taught us how to protect and watch over each other too. It doesn't all fall on you to keep us safe."

"So you don't need me now." He said, his heart constricting in his chest.

"That's not what I said so get that thought out of your head before I knock it out." She said. "We will always need you. Not just as our leader and commander. Not just as our teacher because you will always be our teacher. You will always be teaching us new things throughout the rest of eternity and we all know it. But we will always need you most as our big brother.

When my mom died and Valentine became, well, Valentine, you were my rock. My shoulder to cry on.

You've always been there for me. You've always been there for us. And you always will be. We'll always need you.

You're our everything. For a long time, you've always been there for us in every way every day. You've always listened patiently when Iz and I we're PMS'ing. When we were ranting and raging because we were hormonal." She said, smirking when she saw his smile and his cheeks blush. "And you've always listened patiently when we were angry about something and needed a sounding board. Or just someone to talk to about things. Even silly girly things." She said, giving him a shoulder bump. "And Jace, he was lost when he lost his parents. He needed someone to love him and to be there for him. To comfort him. And you were.

He went from having nothing to having everything in a finger snap. You made him family without a second thought and he'll always love you for that. Well, he loves you for a lot more than that, but that was where it started.

And Si, you've always been there for him too. He struggled when his parents died too and again you took him right into the fold and you both found a best friend in the process.

You've always been what those two idiots needed too. A place for them to vent or train out their frustrations and anger. Even when that frustration and anger was caused because of me and Iz. Especially when it was because of me or Iz.

As for Iz, she looks up to you. She's always looked up to you. You've been her rock since day one rather you knew it or not. To her, you were Rockstar. Her Rockstar. The pressure of being the child of an Institute Head is a lot for a kid so seeing how you handled you showed her how to handle it.

And for a long time, she knew that something wasn't right. Even before you spilled your guts to her that day, she knew that something was wrong. She just didn't know what.

And she beats herself up for that because she feels like she let you down. You're her big brother. She feels like she should have done something. Anything. And she didn't. You may not see things that way, but she does. That's something that you two are going to have to talk about sometime.

You've been our teddybear when we needed a teddybear. You've been our friend when we needed a friend. And you're the hard ass commander that taught us what we needed to know so we could do what you wanted. So we could live. You gave us the tools to be who we are today. For the Angel's sake Alec, you raised us. So I truly do mean it when I say that we will always need you."

Alec felt the tightness in his chest ease. He wasn't sure that he agreed with his parabatai's assessment of his role and importance in their family's lives, but he did take some comfort from her words.

"Get that thought out of your head too." She said as if she'd read his mind. "You have always been the most important part of our lives. But things are a bit different now. All the while you were watching out for us and protecting us you were teaching us how to do the same thing. You taught us how to watch out for each other. How to protect each other.

And that means protecting and watching out for you too. That's something we haven't been doing a very good job of. We've really been messing that up. We just...haven't figured out how to do all of the things you've always done for us. We haven't figured out how to be your shoulder to cry on or your rock or your teddybear yet. But we're trying. So if you could be patient with us just a little while longer..."

"You don't have to be those things for me, Clare-bear." He said, cutting her off.

"Yes, I do. We do." She said. "Because we love you. And it's time we did our part. It's time we shared the load. It's time that you sometimes let us take care of you.

Plus, you're married now. Do you really think that you're not going to need someone to vent to about your husband? That you're not going to need someone to listen after a fight? Or to train out your frustrations with?

And who do you think we're going to call in the middle of the night begging for help when we have screaming babies that we have no idea what to do with?"

Alec couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head. He had no more idea about what to do with screaming babies than she did, but he did suppose that he would be the one to learn first. And she did have a few points about his husband. He could be quite frustrating.

"No matter what we will always need you. In whatever role it is, rock, teddybear, sounding board, teacher, hardass commander, or big brother." She said. "And don't you forget it."

"Okay." He said softly, fighting back the tears that wanted to fall.

"Now, do you want to tell me what's eating you up inside?" She asked. "Don't think that I don't know that there was more to that vision than what you're saying."

"True enough." He admitted. "I'm just not ready I'm to talk about it yet. And to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure that I'm going to need to. I think it's just kinda...resolved itself." He said, feeling the ball of anger and hurt he had been holding in vanish. The visions that The Angel sent him were always things that could or needed to be changed. He knew in his heart that the things that needed to be changed from what he saw in his vision would be, it would all be worked through. What he had seen was the way things were now, but things changed. He knew that it would all get worked out.

"Fair enough." She said, having felt him relax through their bond. "But I'm here if that need to talk changes."

"I know." He said, smiling at his huggable, lovable parabatai. His Clare-bear. "So what do we do now?"

"Now?" She said. "Now we go back to The Manor. Magnus is worried. Mom and dad are worried. And once they're sure that you're okay you come back to Haven. You settle in before we start making those mission and extraction plans. And before you ask, Magnus told me. And no, no one else knows yet."

"Okay." He said.

"Oh. And I have something for you." She said. Reaching in her back pocket she pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it to him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Open it and see." She said, rolling her eyes.

Carefully he unfolded the paper. He studied every curve and line of what she had drawn. It was something he had never seen before. This one was new. A new rune.

"What does it do?" He asked.

"I'm calling it 'The Omega' rune." She said, biting her bottom lip. "It came to me yesterday. It's for your heat. Once it's activated it will last however long your heat does. You won't have to worry about remembering your intimacy rune."

"Thanks." He said, refolding the paper. "Does it work the same way as the intimacy rune? That we'll still sense mortal danger?"

"Yes. It will." She said.

"This will defiantly make things a lot easier." He said, relieved. He knew that there would be a lot of...activity during his heat and trying to keep up with their intimacy rune would be a challenge.

"I figured as much. But it'll only work during your heats." She said. "As for the rest of the time we'll have to stick to the intimacy rune."

"Good to know." He said, smiling for the third time that day.

"And about our intimacy rune." She said. "Try not to be so forgetful in the future. It makes it hard to concentrate when you do."

"Sorry about that." He said, his cheeks blushing crimson.

"I'll let it slide this time considering it's your honeymoon." She said, smiling at her parabatai. He was smiling at her again. She loved his smiles. They were cute. Before he had found his mate and gotten out of the Institute he had rarely smiled. Now he smiled every day. He had finally found the happiness she'd always hoped that he would find. The happiness that he'd always deserved.

"Okay." He said. "But for the record, you and Jace have forgotten a few times yourselves. I just didn't say anything."

"When?" She asked, shocked and embarrassed.

"You want a dated list?" He asked, laughing at her when she paled.

"No, I don't think I do." She said. "But we'll work on it. Are you ready to head back?"

"Sure." He said as they climbed to their feet. "But can I ask you a favor before you leave?" He asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"You know you can. What is it?" She asked as they turned back towards The Manor. By the look in his eyes she knew that whatever he was going to ask her for was going to be good.

____________________

The family stood in an open clearing outside the village. With Haven having grown so large it was hard finding a quiet place for a portal to be opened without countless spectators. They stood clustered together waiting for the portal that would bring Alec and Magnus home.

Robert held Cat in his arms. They had arrived home only an hour before and had informed everyone that their boys would be home soon. Izabella and Gideon stood together watching and waiting. Izzy was waiting impatiently to see her big brother, her twin. The day before had been hard. For the third time in less than three months she had almost lost him. She had almost lost her Rockstar.

"Babe, he'll be here any minute." Simon said, pulling his alpha into his arms and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I know." Izzy said. "But that doesn't make waiting any easier."

"Clary said he's fine. She wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true." Jace said beside them. "Speaking of, where is Clary?" He asked, looking back towards the village for his mate. "Um..." He started as he saw her walking towards them from the bend in the trees.

They all stopped and turned, following his gaze. Clary was walking towards them decked out in her gear. She was wearing a tight-fitting black tank top, black cargo pants, steel toed combat boots, a fully loaded weapons belt with thigh and ankle holsters with a black bow resting in her curly blonde hair. She couldn't be anymore armed, or cute.

"Did we miss something?" Simon asked as she reached them. "Is there something we should know about?"

"Alec asked for a favor." Clary said, shrugging her small yet strong shoulders. She knew that everyone was staring at her and she didn't care in the least.

"Which would be?" Jace asked, pulling his girl into his arms.

"You'll see." She said, smirking.

As a swirling gold portal began to open before them, she pulled out of his arms. Within seconds Magnus stepped through, stopping in his tracks. He stopped so suddenly Alec bumped into him.

"Biscuit? What's wrong?" Magnus asked, alarmed. "Is everyone alright?" He asked. Seeing Biscuit in her gear and fully loaded he thought that something might have happened, that there had been some sort of trouble and that she hadn't had time to change.

"Of course." Clary said, her smile beaming.

"What happened?" He asked, taking in the sight of his family. No one seemed injured or dirty. But that meant nothing. They rarely did after battle. He was too busy looking his family over to see his husband biting his bottom lip, trying hard not to smile. But Alec could see the excitement in his parabatai's beautiful emerald green eyes.

"I don't..." He started. "I don't understand."

"I asked her to wear her gear." Alec said, pressing a soft kiss to his husband's cheek.

"You did?" Magnus asked, turning to his Shadowhunter. "Why?"

"I'm kinda wondering that myself." Jace said, just as confused as Magnus.

"Well, you asked me yesterday how Clary manages to train and fight in thirty pounds of gear." Alec said. "She's here to show you." He said, shrugging.

"Oh this is going to be good." Izzy said. She knew they were about to get a show.

"Yep." Simon said, pulling his alpha back towards Jace to give Clary room.

"What are they doing?" Gideon whispered to Izabella.

"I don't know, baby." Izabella whispered back. She was just as confused as her Uncle Mags.

"Clary? Care to provide a demonstration as to how a Shadowhunter as petite as you manages to train and hunt demons with the weight of your gear?" Alec asked. "Mind you, no one outside the family carries as many weapons as we do." He said to his husband. "We carry a lot of Iz's custom blades and holsters which adds an extra ten pounds or so."

Seeing her parabatai's small nod Clary walked backwards from their small group thirty feet.

"Sweetheart, I don't understand." Magnus said to his young warrior. He was obviously still confused.

"Just watch." He said softly, giving Clary another small nod.

Jace could only shake his head at his mate. He knew what was coming. But outside of himself, his sister and new brother, no one else but his big brother did.

With laughter in her eyes Clary launched into a smooth roundoff before executing six perfect flips landing solidly on her feet for a split second before spinning into a beautiful round house that turned into a high side kick, her foot stopping an inch from Magnus' stunned face.

Alec laughed and Clary giggled as Magnus just stared at the smallest member of their family. Robert could only roll his eyes at his youngest daughter and try not to laugh at the shocked look on his beautiful Catarina's face. Both warlocks' jaws were practically on the ground.

Izabella and Gideon could only stare dumbfounded at what they had just seen. Izabella had come to understand why her grandchildren were the best Shadowhunters and the best Shadowhunter team in the Shadowhunter World. She had seen what they could do. But every time she thought she'd seen it all they surprised her with something new.

"What was that?" Gideon asked, trying and failing to pick his own jaw up off the ground. He'd thought he had seen it all too. Now he knew that he hadn't already seen it all, not even close. And he knew then that there were a great many more surprises to come.

"That, Magnus, is how I train and fight demons in my gear." Clary said as she lowered her leg.

"Nice." Simon said, fist bumping Jace. "That look was priceless."

"Oh yeah it was." Jace said, shaking his head at his girl.

"Need some help there, Magnus?" Izzy asked. "You seem to have lost your jaw."

Magnus shook his head, trying and failing to gain his wits.

"Alexander..." He started, unsure what to say.

"Yes, alpha?" Alec asked between peals of laughter as he pulled his parabatai into his arms. He was still smiling when he pressed a soft kiss to her curly blonde hair. "The bow's a nice touch, Clare-bear." He said as Clary laughed in his arms. "It's cute. You should wear them more often."

"I'll try and remember that." Clary said as she recovered from her fits of laughter. But she was unable to stop the occasional giggle. Simon had been right. The look on her parabatai's husband's face had been priceless.

"How?" Catarina asked, just as shocked as her oldest and dearest friend.

"Years of hard training, my sweet." Robert said, grinning. "It doesn't hurt that she has the grace of a ballerina."

"Or the skill of a world renowned gymnast." Izzy said.

"And the speed of a demon." Jace said, pulling his mate away from his brother and into his own arms.

"I don't get it." Gideon said. "I just don't get it."

"I don't either, baby." Izabella said. "Who taught them this stuff?" She said, her mind still reeling at what she had just seen. How the pixie of a young woman she had grown so fond of had executed such perfect movements with her flips with the weight of her heavy gear while still managing to stop before her foot slammed into her Uncle Mags' face, she didn't know.

"Alexander did, momma." Robert said, pride once again welling in him for his children. "Throw a little magic in with their daddy's training and even I can't begin to imagine what my grandchildren will be able to do."

"You and me both." Magnus said, having finally recovered. When he had first stepped through the portal and seen his Biscuit in her gear, he had thought that something had happened, that there had been some sort of danger or battle that they had missed. He certainly hadn't expected what he had just seen.

He had seen Biscuit tumble in training before adding kicks and weapons when she landed perfectly on her feet. But outside of the day they had first arrived in Haven he hadn't seen her in her gear which had been impressive to say the least. And to see her move so easily and gracefully in it had most defiantly been a shock. Robert was right. Knowing what he already knew of what his family could do he knew then that he hadn't seen all that there was to see. He couldn't begin to fathom what his future children would be able to do with his angel's soon to be 'warlocks magic touch' because what he could already do was pure magic.

His love was the best Shadowhunter in the world. He had known for some time that his precious Alexander was the best and that he would teach their children everything he knew. And he had thought that he had known, knowing their daddy, how spectacular their children would be. But he had been wrong. So very wrong.

When you tossed in a little warlock magic and whatever new moves his Shadowhunter would add to his own personal arsenal over time, and he knew that his love would learn more and add it to that arsenal, one couldn't begin to imagine how magnificent their children would be in combat. Even the smallest of their children would be just as good as the rest, just as Biscuit was just as good as the rest of the best Shadowhunter team to ever live. His husband would see to that.

"Does that answer your question?" Alec asked sweetly, pressing another soft kiss to his alpha's cheek.

"Yes, angel." He said. "I believe it does."

"Okay." Izzy said, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "Now that the show's over how about we head back to town and show Alec his surprises."

"This is going to be good too." Simon said, fist bumping Jace again.

"Surprises?" Alec asked. "What surprises?"

"You'll see, sweetheart." Magnus said, taking his Shadowhunter by the hand. Following their family he lead him back towards the village.

____________________

"Alec!" Madzie cried as she leapt into Alec's arms.

"Hey there, Maz." Alec said, smoothly catching the flying little girl. "How is my favorite little Lightwood?" He asked, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

"I missed you." She said, wrapping her arms tight around his neck.

"I missed you too, sweet pea." He said, giving the small girl a tight squeeze.

"You were supposed to come back yesterday. You didn't." She said.

"I know." He said, adjusting her on his hip.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly, laying her head on his shoulder. "The grownups were saying that you got sick. I heard them. I wasn't supposed to."

"I'm fine." He said. "Sometimes the visions The Angel sends makes me not feel so good. They give me a bad headache." He said, unwilling to lie to his cousin. But he was willing to leave a few details out.

"So you're all better now?" She asked.

"Yep. All better." He said. "What have you been up to?"

"Helping with the surprises." She said, excitement sparkling in her crystal blue eyes.

"I heard that there was a surprise." He said. "So there's more than one?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at his husband.

"Yep." She said. "And I got to help."

"Will you tell me what they are?" He asked, whispering in her ear.

"Nope. That would spoil the surprise." She said firmly, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Can we show him now?" She asked Magnus.

"Sure, sweet pea." Magnus said, smiling at his love's adorable little niece. 'He's going to train her too. She'll be just as magnificent as the rest of the family.' He thought. "We can show him now."

"What's this all about?" Alec asked, settling a squirming Madzie on her feet.

"You'll see." He said, smirking. "You're not the only one who can set up a surprise." He said as they rounded the corner into the village.

Alec stopped. He could only stare at what was in front of him across the village square. He was looking at the little cottage that he had shared with his husband. Or at least he thought that he was.

"What...How..." He started, shocked and unable to finish.

"Do you like it?" Cat asked beside him. "We can change anything you don't like."

"How..." He started again, not knowing what else to say.

"You have a lot of warlocks here, sweetie. And a lot of friends." She said. "And they all are more than happy to do anything for you."

"Why?..." He started, still dumbstruck. He was trying to take it all in. His little cottage had changed. It had grown. What was once a little cottage in town square wasn't quite so little anymore. It was twice as big as it had been when he had left for his honeymoon. There was a long white covered porch with a white porch swing matching the white banisters. There were matching white rocking chairs across from it on the other side in front of gorgeous stained-glass windows. His cozy little cottage was now a more than beautiful house.

"We thought you might need something a little bigger soon." Robert said, standing beside his mate. "Would you like to go inside?"

'They did this in three days.' Alec thought.

"How?.." He started again. He couldn't seem to form any other words than 'how and why'.

"He speaks more than thirty languages and all he can manage are two words." Jace said, smirking.

"Like Cat said." Clary said, ignoring her mate. She could feel her parabatai's shock and confusion through their bond. "There are plenty of warlocks here who would do anything for you, and you have a lot of other friends more than willing to help. But if you decide that you don't like something it can easily be changed."

"Did you know?" Alec asked, turning to his husband.

"Of course I did, sweetheart." Magnus said. "We planned it for you before we left for our honeymoon."

"I don't understand." He said.

"You will when we get inside." Magnus said, pulling his Shadowhunter across the village square towards their new home. He hoped with all that he was that his precious Alexander would love it.

Climbing the front stairs Alec looked at the comfortable looking padded porch swing and matching white rocking chairs when they reached the landing.

"Can I open the door?" Madzie asked, all excitement.

"Sure, sweet pea." Magnus said.

They all watched as she reached for the crystal door knob and turned it, pushing the white door open. Alec didn't miss that the door had discreet runes carved in several places. Protection, privacy, soundless, deflect, angelic power, and the angelic rune. Everything one would need to protect a sacred space.

Stepping into the 'house' Alec stopped again, taking in the sight before him. On his left was a modern kitchen with a large dining table and chairs, not the small kitchenet that had been there before. On his right was an inviting looking living room with cozy looking couches, a recliner, a gliding rocker with ottoman, and everything else one would need to provide a comfortable space where everyone in his family could sit and then some. On the wall was a large flat screen TV with what he thought was some sort of mundane movie playing device and a video game machine that looked like the one Si had in his room at the Institute.

Beside it on the left was a large built-in bookcase full of video games and small cases that looked liked mundane DVD movies. On the right was a matching bookcase filled with books. From what he could see it held dozens of his favorite books as well as books on demonology, language, and dozens of other books that he had studied and knew very well. Beside the large fireplace beneath the TV between the bookshelves were large ricks of various woods. The 'living room' looked more than comfortable.

"We put the books in based on what the family knew of what you enjoyed reading. And some that we thought that you could use." Magnus said. "I sent few extra that I saw that seemed to pique your interest from our library at The Manor." Magnus said, watching his silent husband.

He knew that this was a big change from what his love was used to. He had only recently begun to adjust to The Manor. Before that his angel had always lived simply despite the fact that as the son of the Head of an Institute, he could have had anything he wanted. He had felt that he hadn't deserved nice things. But this was something that they would need. They didn't need a one room cottage. They needed a home.

"Sweetheart?" He asked, worried when his Shadowhunter remained silent as he looked back and forth between the living room and kitchen. "Please say something."

"I don't know what to say." Alec said softly.

"Do you like it?" Izzy asked, nervous. She had never seen the expression that her big brother had now and didn't know if it was good or bad.

"Yes." He said. "It's nice. Really nice. Beautiful actually. But I don't understand."

"Understand what, love?" Magnus asked.

"It's different." He said softly.

"Yes, angel. It is different." Magnus said. "But it's better, right?" He asked, his nerves a ball of lead in his belly. "If you don't like something, we can change it."

"What's not to like?" He asked. "I mean, it's great. It's just..." He said, unsure what else to say.

"Oh." Clary said softly. She finally realized what it was that she was feeling from her parabatai through their bond. She knew that at the Institute he had felt that he hadn't deserved nice things and that he had only recently begun to adjust to the luxury of The Manor. But having this felt like this was him getting special treatment and he felt like he didn't deserve special treatment.

But what he didn't know was that everyone in Haven thought that he did deserve this, that it wasn't him getting special treatment. They felt that with everything that he was doing to prepare them for this war and that with everything that he was going to do to end this war that he should have this. They all knew that his visions hit him hard and they wanted him to have some comfort.

"No, Alec." She said firmly. "You stop thinking like that right now."

"Clary..." He started.

"No." She said, cutting him off. "You deserve this. This isn't you getting special treatment. Everyone wants you to have this." She said firmly. "YOU...DESERVE...THIS." She said, putting emphasis on each word.

"Sweetheart?" Magnus asked. "Is that true? Is that what's troubling you?"

"Yes." Alec said softly.

"Clary's right, honey. You deserve this." Izabella said. "Everyone really does want you to have this. They know how hard you work. They know how much effort you put into everything you do. And the things that you're teaching them to do, they know that you're not doing it just for yourself. You're doing it for them too.

They know that your visions hit you really hard and that while it was your first vision that set this all in motion it's something that they all want to change because changing that means changing the future. Everyone's future. Changing that means a better life not just for them but for their children, their grandchildren, great grandchildren and every generation that comes after. They know that you will change everything.

They also know that you've had other visions where you're pregnant. And even while you're pregnant in those visions you were still by their side. You were still right there with them because that's who you are. That's what you do.

You're a hero, honey. You're their hero." She said. "I'll admit that when I first heard what the downworlders said about you and about what you did for them in The Dark War, about how you saved them all and where their hero I was skeptical. But I shouldn't have been. To them, you're their saving grace."

"I..." He started.

"No, son." Robert said, gently cutting him off. "No. At some point you are going to have to truly accept that you did something very important. Not just when you fired that arrow and ended Valentine but with that you did before that. What all of you did." He said, nodding towards his children. "You and your team, you didn't just save the downworlders by stopping Valentine from making that wish. You showed them that there are good Shadowhunters in this world.

Yes, every downworlder in New York knew that you all were always fair and just in everything that you did. You treated them with respect and as your equals when most Shadowhunters looked down on them. All of you, you see them as your equal. You always have. And now everyone else knows what the New York clans and packs already knew. They know that you all are the kind of Shadowhunters that they want in the new Shadow World. A world that's right around the corner."

"They feel like you're not a leader that just sits back and gives orders, Alec." Simon said. "And they know that you're going to need this space both after a vision and while you're pregnant. They want you to have a comfortable space where you can rest and recover after a vision. And a place to rest while you're pregnant because pregnant or not they know that like grandma said, you'll still be right there with them for as long as you safely can be. And we want you to have this too."

Alec nodded yes, fighting back the tears that wanted to fall. But he knew that his family was right. They would need a larger space. They wouldn't be able to live in a one room cottage once he was pregnant or after the babies were born. And he would need a space where he could have his family around him when he needed them. All of them.

"So you like it?" Magnus asked, pulling his Shadowhunter into his arms.

"I love it." He said softly.

"Good." Magnus said, pressing a soft kiss to his angel's forehead. "If there's anything you want to change just say the word."

"There's nothing that I've seen so far." He said, holding his alpha close. "Well, one thing." He said as a thought occurred to him.

"Anything, sweetie." Cat said, happy that her son seemed at ease and happy with his new home.

"We need more books." He said, looking over at the bookshelf. "I've read all of those. They're good for others to reference, but I've read them all."

"That can be arranged." Robert said, chuckling. He had a sneaking suspicion that his boy's husband was about to learn something new about his son.

"May I ask what's funny?" Magnus asked, turning to his family.

"He doesn't know does he big brother?" Izzy asked, trying and failing to hide her smirk.

"Know what, Isabelle?" He asked.

"Alec has an eidetic memory." Clary said. "But he does like those books and enjoys having them around. He just..always needs new material." She said, shrugging.

"I see." He said, unsure why he was shocked by this new information. He knew that he shouldn't have been. "And you were going to tell me this when?" He asked, cupping his love's cheek, gazing into his favorite crystal blue eyes.

"I don't know. When it came up." Alec said, sheepish.

"When it 'came up'." He repeated, shaking his head.

"What's an ededic memory?" Madzie asked.

"It means that Alec only has to see or read something once and he never forgets it." Simon said. "It's like he has a picture of it in his head that he can look at any time he wants."

"Oh. Okay." She said, not sure that she understood. But her Alec could do anything.

"I'll explain it a bit better later, Madz." Alec said, smiling at the look on his husband's face. "Hey, I don't know everything there is to know about you, alpha." He said, pressing a soft kiss to his warlock's cheek.

"Fair enough." Magnus said. "But I will one day know everything there is to know about Alexander Lightwood-Bane. Mark my words."

"I'm sure you will." He said. "And I'm sure that the day will come when I know everything there is to know about Magnus Lightwood-Bane. It may take a century or two, but I will. Mark my words." He said, mimicking his alpha. "So, what's behind these other doors?" He asked, nodding towards the four closed doors in front of him.

"Well." Clary said, walking to one of the doors. "This one is a bathroom. We figured that you and Magnus would enjoy not having people traipse through your bedroom to pee when you're trying to sleep." She said, opening the door to a full ornate guest bathroom.

"I know that I would certainty enjoy that." Magnus said as Clary closed the bathroom door.

"Okay." Alec said. "And that one?"

"Come see." Clary said.

Magnus took his husband's hand and lead him to the closed door.

"Biscuit? Would you kindly reveal what's behind door number two?" He asked.

Biting her bottom lip Clary pushed the door open, smiling when her parabatai's eyes lit up as he stepped through the open doorway. 'He looks like the mundanes at that Christmas thing.' She thought.

Alec didn't know what to think about the sight before him. He couldn't take it in fast enough. What was laid out before him was enough to steal his breath.

"Breathe, sweetheart." Magnus said softly in his angel's ear. He had known that his love would like this room and would enjoy it immensely in the coming months, especially when he was no longer able to be out training with their army. The day would come when his pregnancy wouldn't allow it.

Alec scanned the room a fifth time memorizing every surface, cabinet, bench, and light. He knew that he would spend a lot of time in this room especially when he was too pregnant to be out training with their army. He could do a great many things in this room that would still help them.

He had thought that the missions planning room at the Institute had been nice, and it was albeit digital. But he much preferred real materials over using an I-pad. He supposed because that was how he had learned, how Hodge had taught him during his early years in the Institute's basement.

A large map of Haven and another pinpointing the location of every Institute in the world hung on one wall. They would be able to find any omega Shadowhunter anywhere in the world for a rescue. And he knew that any map that wasn't already in this room in the clear bins could easily be added to the collection, and they already had what looked it hundreds on hand.

They would be able to find omega Shadowhunters anywhere and everywhere for a rescue. He could also see that it held everything they could possibly need to design new weapons, plan out training exercises, missions, battle plans and whatever else they needed. There was just so much that he could do in this room. In his mind the possibilities were endless.

"We thought you could use an OP's center." Jace said, shrugging.

"Mm-hmm." Alec hummed absently as he crossed over to the one of the workbenches to study the tools.

"Your father tells me that you've away excelled at mission planning." Magnus said, smiling at his husband. He knew that his young warrior was still taking it all in. The need for most of what his new family had put into this room had understood, but some he hadn't. But he was sure that he would find out.

"Mm-hmm." Alec hummed again, still engrossed in his assessment of his new OP's center.

"I take it he likes it then." Simon said, happy that they had finally 'planned' something for their brother that he actually liked.

"Where did you get all of this?" He asked.

"It was all fairly easy to find, love. Biscuit thought that you could use maps of and around the location of every Institute seeing as we're more than likely going to need them for rescues." Magnus said. "And your father is familiar with all of them, so we knew what we would need there. I'll admit that I was a bit surprised by how many Institutes there are and some of their locations. I wasn't aware that there was much demon activity in the arctic."

"Demons pop up everywhere, alpha." He said, shrugging.

"And we added wherever else we could think of that would be the most useful." Izzy said.

"And if there's one that's not here that you need, sweetie, we can easily get it." Cat said, smiling again at her son and how happy he seemed.

Alec nodded yes. Turning to the right he saw a large round table with ten chairs.

"We thought that using this as a meeting place would be more convenient than going all the way out to the council hall." Simon said, following his brother's gaze. "Especially when you aren't feeling so great."

Alec nodded yes again. He knew that it would be more convenient for them to gather and plan here than it would be at the council hall. And here they wouldn't have to move materials back and forth.

"What's a rescue?" Madzie asked, tugging on Alec's pants.

"Um..." He started, gazing down into his little cousin's crystal blue eyes. "It's when someone has to get someone else out of danger." He said, crouching down in front of her. "We're going to have to leave Haven from time to time to go get other omegas, omega Shadowhunters like me and grandma so we can keep them save from the Clave."

"Other Shadowhunters?" She asked softly. She didn't like Shadowhunters. Only her Alec and their family. They all hid in Haven from the other Shadowhunters and the Clave.

"Yes, sweet pea. If we don't go get the other omega Shadowhunters they could hurt." He said gently. He was unwilling to lie to her. But he was willing to leave the details out. She was too young to know that if they didn't rescue the other omegas that they would be killed or worse. "Not all Shadowhunters are bad. There are actually some really good ones out there."

"Most of the Shadowhunters out there don't know the truth, Madzie." Robert said, crouching down beside his niece and son. "I only knew the truth because my momma is an omega and I was born here. The Clave has been telling all the Shadowhunters out there lies for a very long time.

It might be that once everyone knows the truth the good ones won't want to stay and help the Clave. It might be that they want to come and help us. And I'm sure some of the mommies and daddies of the omegas that were going to go get will want to come with them."

"And their brothers and sisters." Izzy said, smiling at her little cousin. "I know that I will always go where my big brother goes."

"Don't worry, sweet pea." Alec said, lifting Madzie's chin to meet his eyes. "We won't bring any bad Shadowhunters here. I promise. Okay?"

Madzie nodded yes. She trusted her Alec. She might not like or trust other Shadowhunters, but she trusted him and if he said that he wouldn't bring any bad Shadowhunters here he wouldn't bring any bad Shadowhunters.

She remembered when he first came. She had been afraid of him. Until she knew that he was good. Now she loved him bunches. And her cousins. They were good and she loved them bunches too. But not as much as her Alec.

"How will you know who the omegas are so you can rescue them?" She asked. "And who the other good Shadowhunters are?"

"The Angel shows me in some of the visions. He wouldn't show me who needs to be rescued if he didn't think that they should be, right?" Alec said, hoping that he wasn't lying. He had seen Lydia.

But the first time she had seen him she had tried to kill him. He could only hope and pray that she wouldn't be a threat. Or any of the other Shadowhunters they try to save before they presented. That was something he would have to discuss with his family. If they should try and rescue them before they presented or immediately after.

"Right." She said, all confidence. She wouldn't be afraid. She wouldn't let herself be afraid. She may be little now, but she wouldn't be little forever. And when she got bigger her Alec was going to teach her how to be a good Shadowhunter just like he was. The Shadowhunters she knew weren't afraid of anything. Her Alec wasn't afraid of anything. So she wouldn't be either.

"Do you want a check out the house, Alexander?" Magnus asked, hoping to distract his love's cousin from the topic at hand.

"Yes." Alec said, seizing the opportunity to distract his favorite little Lightwood from a topic that he knew had scared her. He had known that they were going to have to talk to her before they left for the mission to extract Aline and hopefully Dr. Greymark. He just hadn't expected it to be this way.

He also knew that he was going to have to tell their army what was to come. So far, the only people who knew were himself, his alpha, his parents, and Dot. He knew that Dot wouldn't say anything, but they won't keep it under wraps for so long.

Climbing to his feet he took his favorite little Lightwood's small hand in his own when she reached for it, giving it a small squeeze.

"Why don't you go play for a bit, Madz?" He asked. He was hoping that he could get her to leave without her knowing that needed to have a sit down with their family. "I'll find you in a little bit and you can tell me about your plans for our tea party."

"Okay." She said, all excitement. She had been wanting to tell her Alec about their party forever. "I'm going to go play with Ziva. Uncle Sebastian built us a swing set to play on while you were away."

"That sounds like a great idea." He said, relieved. She would leave without worrying. He found it ironic that it was little Ziva that she had chosen to play with.

He watched as she turned and ran out the door.

"Have fun, baby." Gideon called after her. All he could do was smile and shake his head at his daughter.

"What's wrong, Alec?" Izzy asked, turning back to her big brother. She could tell by the tension in his shoulders that something was up.

"We need to talk." Alec said. "How about we take a seat and test out that new table?"

She nodded yes, but she was worried.

The group took seats around the round table, Alec at the center with Magnus across from him.

"As you all know I had visions yesterday." Alec said.

"Visions?" Izaballe asked. "As in more than one?"

"Yes. There were two." He said. "But there's one that I would like to discuss first. I think it's the most pressing."

"You didn't say that there we're two, sweetheart." Magnus said.

"They're were." He said. "They were back to back which is why I think that the fallout was as bad as it was. Too much at one time. Well, almost too much. But I didn't put the pieces together until this morning shortly before we came back."

"Okay." Simon said. "What gives?"

"The one I'd like to discuss concerns Dr. Greymark." He said. "He's Dot's mate and he's in trouble."

"Say again?" Jace asked.

"Dr. Greymark is Dot's mate." He said.

"Okay." Jace said, leaning back in his chair. "Wasn't expecting that one. You're sure? Dr. Greymark is Dot's mate."

"And little Ziva's father." Clary said, shocked.

"Yes." Alec said. "Dot confirmed it for me last night. There's no doubt that he's in danger. From what I saw the Clave finds out. Soon. He's supposed to go to Idris to tend to Lydia's head injury so I think we have to move fast. I don't know how much time we have but we have to get him out before he leaves for Idris. Or at least try to. If we can't it's going to make rescuing him and Lydia that much harder. It's going to be hard enough getting one person out of Idris. I really don't want to have to try and rescue two."

"Wait. Lydia?" Izzy asked.

"Yes." He said. "That's part of the second vision. But we'll get to that. Right now our immediate concern is Dr. Greymark. We need to get him out of New York as quickly as possible." He said. "I need a map of New York. One that has Central Park."

Magnus snapped his fingers, a large map of New York appearing on the table. Alec reached for it, pulling it in front of him.

"Jia's letter said that he's still in New York." Robert said. "They want him in Idris but without warlocks to open portals they haven't been able to easily move Shadowhunters between Institutes. That's why Aline is still in New York.

She came over to help with the search for Alexander and hasn't been able to get back to Idris, so she's been working out of the New York Institute."

Alec nodded yes, studying the map in front of him. He didn't need it. He knew New York. Just as he knew every street, alley, and subway tunnel in and around the Institute like the back of his hand. He knew every entrance and exit of the Institute.

He knew Central Park and the surrounding area just a well. They all did. They had patrolled it enough times over the last four years. But he still wanted the map laid out in front of him to mark different routes to get Dr. Greymark out.

"I think getting Dr. Greymark out of New York will be fairly easy once we decide on an extraction point and plans." He said. "But it's going to make getting Aline out much harder. It won't take long for the Institute to notice that Dr. Greymark's missing. There will be search parties all over New York once they realize that he's gone."

"So what do we do?" Clary asked. Her parabatai was right. They did have to rescue Dr. Greymark. If the Clave did find out that he's mated to a downworlder it would mean certain death. However hard it might be, they had to save him.

Dr. Luke Greymark had delivered their entire family into this world. He had tended to them their entire lives right up until the day they had left the Institute. There was no doubt that they had to get him out, and they would come hell or high water.

"First we have to get word to him that we're coming. Once we've found a way to do that then we can work out the actual extraction plan. Like I said, the extraction itself should be fairly easy. But working around patrols could make it tricky. Dad, do you remember how many Shadowhunters were still in New York before you left?"

"Um..." Robert started, thinking. "Just over a hundred. And patrol shifts have changed."

"That was going to be my next question." He said.

"I think a first question should be how will he know that we're coming for him." Clary said.

"Making contact is going to be the hardest part I think." He said. "I would say maybe Jia could send something to him in the way of an official correspondence. That would be the easiest way. No one would intercept that. It would just appear to be what it would look like. An official correspondence from the Clave. But that's risky too. It could be found which would put them both at risk and compromise Jia. Something like that would just be too hard to explain."

"So what do you suggest?" Robert asked.

"We get word to him in person." He said. "I can portal into his office at the Institute and just tell him."

"That's risky too, Alec." Izzy said. "You could be seen. Not to mention that the shock of seeing you alive..." She started.

"I'll go." Robert said, cutting her off. "I can portal into his office."

"Robert, no!" Izabella said.

"Grandma's right. It's the same risk that Alec would be taking. What if someone is in his office when you portal in?" Izzy asked. "You can't be seen either, dad. If you're caught..." She started.

"What about a fire message with the privacy rune?" Clary asked, cutting her off. "That worked with Jia. It wasn't intercepted."

"Jia already knew we were alive." Alec said. "And she messaged us first in response to my visit, so she was waiting for our response. Sending a message like that to Dr. Greymark would only cause confusion and possibly suspicion.

The Shadowhunter World believes that we're dead. I'm sure that he does too. He would have no reason to believe that a message from us is real. For all he knows it could be some sort of trap set up by the Clave which is something I'm sure that he's always on the lookout for. We already know that he's been keeping his relationship with Dot a secret for a pretty long time so I think that he would be really leery about trusting anything that seems suspicious or impossible."

"A letter then." Robert said. "In a letter we could tell him everything that he needs to know. When to leave the Institute, what route to take, all of it.

But I think it would need to come from me. He knows my handwriting and wouldn't question a letter from me. Would getting that letter surprise him? Yes. But I think that's the best way. We can also have him tell Aline to meet up with him at the rendezvous point."

"How do we get him that letter?" Magnus asked.

"The only option to avoid being seen and knowing that it wouldn't be intercepted is going into the right place in the Institute." He said. "He works second shift. I could portal into his chambers and leave it for him say...an hour or two after his shift starts assuming it hasn't changed. If by some chance he is in his chambers he would be the only one there in which I can explain to him in person."

"That's dangerous, dad." Alec said. "Really dangerous."

"Wouldn't portaling into an Institute set off the wards?" Gideon asked.

"Not if I use Clary's portal rune." Robert said. "Didn't you all say that you used it several times without setting of the wards?" He asked his children.

"Yes." Alec said, hesitant. "But it's still dangerous."

"I know that." He said. "But there's no other way. This way we can tell him what he needs to know. We can tell him the extraction plans you make and whatever else you think is necessary. And like I said, we can have him get word to Aline about what she needs to do since she her plan has changed. We can tell him to reply back that he's received the letter and to destroy it. I know his handwriting just as well as he knows mine. He'll know it's real.

Should something go wrong we let Jia know in advance to let us know. If something happens, we'll just go in hard and fast and grab both him and Aline. Would it reveal us before we're ready? Yes. But this is war. We just need to plan out exactly what he needs to do and what we need him to tell Aline to do."

"I don't like this, Robert." Izabella said.

"No one does." Simon said. "But I think he's right. This is the only way. And it will get word to both Dr. Greymark and Aline. I do think that we should be ready to follow you just in case though. If you're not in and out in five minutes, we're coming in after you."

"Okay." Robert said. "But not you, Alexander. We can't risk you. If I'm not back in five minutes wait ten. Then portal down to the cells. If I've been caught that's where I'll be. But you can't be the one to come after me, son."

"I'll go." Simon said. "Everyone here calls me The Warrior. A title I know was given to me because I have no specific skill set and no one wanted me to feel left out. All I'm really good for is fighting. Should we need to go in and there's a problem, well, I'm the most expendable."

"We've been over this." Alec snapped. "You are not expendable. Your gift is hand to hand and you know it."

"We all go in." Clary said. "Minus you, Alec. If there's a fight we can handle it. Surely the four of us can fight off a couple of guards and get dad out."

"I still don't like it." He said, still shooting daggers at his brother.

"You don't have to like it." Robert said. "But again I say, this is war, son. There's going to be risks that have to be taken. And it's not like they're not going to find out that we're still alive at some point very soon."

"Dad's right, Alec." Jace said. "This is war. We have to get both Dr. Greymark and Aline out. There's no point in continuing to argue about this."

"Okay." Alec said, defeated. "But we need to plan it out before tonight. If this is happening tomorrow, we need plans for every possible scenario. I say tomorrow because I want to get this done as soon as possible. I don't want to risk losing our window. We also have to make sure that Dr. Greymark gets word to Aline. We can only hope that she has the registry. If not that's fine. We'll just have to figure something else out about that. Getting her to safety is what's most important."

"Agreed." Clary said. "Now, what about Lydia?"

"We have to go after her." He said.

"Why?" Izzy asked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Lydia Branwell had tried to kill her brother. She had shown her true colors. Why he would want to save her, she didn't know.

"Is this the young woman that tried to kill you?" Izabella asked.

"Yes, grandma." He said. "It is. And I know what you all are thinking."

"Really?" Jace asked. "Because I'm not sure you do. Lydia tried to kill you."

"I'm aware of that, Jace." He said. "Bt in the vision where I saw Dr. Greymark I also saw Lydia. She was in the cell beneath the Gard that he was thrown into. It was days after her presentation. She knew that she was there because she'd presented and that the Clave was going to kill her."

"How do you know that her being in that vision actually has anything to do with her?" Simon asked. "Maybe you just saw her as part of Dr. Greymark's vision."

"I've thought about that, Si." He said. "And I really don't think that's the reason why I saw her too. I mean...if The Angel just wanted to show me Dr. Greymark he could have shown me a vision of him at any time between the time he gets arrested to the time they throw him in that cell. He could have left Lydia out of it and he didn't."

"I know you want to save her, Alec." Clary said softly.

"You're right, I do." He said. "And I think we're supposed to."

"How sure are you about that?" Jace asked. "You thought that we could trust her." He said cautiously. He knew that what had happened with Lydia was still a sore subject for his brother. The last thing that he wanted was to upset him, but they couldn't afford to make any assumptions even if they were based on what his big brother had seen in a vision. "That didn't turn out so well."

"He's right." Clary said, her heart breaking for her parabatai. She knew things that no one else knew about him. She knew that he wanted to save everyone he could even if they didn't want to be saved.

"Look...I'm just putting it out there." Jace said. "It's just..." He started, unsure what to say next.

"It's just what, Jace?" Alec asked.

"It's just that after you presented everyone turned on you." He said, sighing. "Including Lydia."

"Not everyone." He said. "Aline didn't. And I think that we're going to have to set what happened with Lydia aside. I truly don't believe that we're meant to leave her to die. Despite what you may think I don't think that her being in that vision was coincidence or whatever else you want to call it.

I think that The Angel wants us to go after her otherwise he wouldn't have shown her to me. And to be honest, I really don't think that she's going to be the only one who won't react well to seeing me or being told that they're going to present as an omega. We need to be prepared for that.

We need to be prepared for some hostility and to be honest some anger. I'm betting that a lot of who we try and save will probably be Shadowhunters that have turned against me and will be against me right up until they present. Isn't there some mundane saying about the shoe being on the other foot?"

"There is, sweetheart." Magnus said, trying not to smile. His Shadowhunter was brilliant when it came to a lot of things, but he still had a lot to learn about mundanes. "And it's a valid point. I agree with Alexander. I think that there are going to be a lot of...omega haters that we'll have to face. I truly don't believe that their views on omega's are going to change until they themselves have presented as one."

"It would certainly change their tune." Robert said, hating that his son and son-in-law were right. But he knew that they were and that they would have to use caution. They couldn't risk a repeat of what happened with Lydia rather they went for her or not. She wouldn't be the only one that reacted the way Lydia had. "You're sure that this is what The Angel wants us to do?"

"Yes, dad." Alec said softly. "I'm sure. I know it with everything I am. I know what she did. Exactly why she did it only she knows. But I know that saving her is what's right."

"Okay." He said. "If you're sure that's enough for me."

"Same." Simon said. He knew to trust his best friend turned brother's instincts. They had never let them down before.

"Me too. I go where you go, big brother. You know that." Izzy said. "Do you have a plan in mind for her extraction?"

"Not yet." Alec said. "But I'll work on it. Does anyone else still have doubts?" He asked, hoping that no one did. He needed them to trust him on this. To trust The Angel.

"I'm good if you are." Clary said, unable to hide her smile. Her parabatai never ceased to amaze her. He always seemed to be able to see the good in people even when they didn't deserve it. And who was she to question The Angel? Hadn't she told him just that morning to have a little faith?

"I am." He said. "Jace?"

"Alright." Jace said. "If you're sure. But if you think for a second that we need to back out..." He started.

"You'll know. There are no secrets in this. Alpha?" He asked.

"If you're sure, angel, then I'm sure." Magnus said, smiling at his Shadowhunter. He knew that his young love was right. They did need to trust his Angel. While he may not be The Angel Raziel's biggest fan with all that he was putting his precious Alexander through with his visions, he knew that if his husband was sure of something then he was sure of something.

"It's settled then." He said, relieved. His team was with him. Together they would do what he knew they were supposed to do. They were supposed to save Lydia Branwell and they would.

"What about the other omegas?" Izzy asked. "Do we approach them before they present or after?"

"We can work that out later." He said, dreading making that decision. He knew that they would see similar reactions to Lydia's so there would be real danger in approaching them before their presentations.

But he also knew that once more and more Shadowhunters started presenting as omegas that waiting until after their presentations would be dangerous too. There was no predicting what the Clave would do with young Shadowhunters that hadn't presented yet. They could be held captive or worse. But he couldn't think about that right now. He wouldn't think about that right now. He had other more pressing things to think about.

____________________

Alec stood on the podium looking out at their army, his family flanking him. His team had grown. While he still had his siblings and their team, new additions had been added to their family since their arrival in Haven. It wasn't just his alpha and mother who had joined them at the podium. Now his father, uncle, and grandmother stood beside them as well.

He had asked the army standing in front of him to meet at dusk. He wanted to speak to them all without the vampires having to hide beneath the trees across what used to be a clearing to avoid the sun. They were a part of this army and should be able to join them whenever possible. They were 'One Army' after all. Belle had said that it would take 'One Army' to do what had to be done and now they had it.

Looking out at the people who had gathered to fight this war he saw that they were no longer standing in groups by species. They were standing together. They were standing together as friends, as brethren. For the first time ever downworlders and nephilims stood together as equals. He knew then that no matter who one this war never again would they stand apart. Never again would they stand divided.

"Good evening." He said using his command voice. All talk and chatter ended in an instant as all eyes turned to him. "I'm sure that you're all wondering why we've called you here tonight. And here it goes.

Tomorrow my team and I will be portaling out of Haven on a rescue mission. We will be going to New York to retrieve two Shadowhunters." He said, watching the look of unease and fear that flashed across the faces of some of the original inhabitants of Haven. "While I know that in doing this, in bringing Shadowhunters here some of you will be uneasy. Some of you may even be afraid.

When my family and I first came here we knew that some of you were afraid of us. Of Shadowhunters. Most of the people here had been told all their lives that Shadowhunters for the Clave were evil. Dangerous. And to an extent they were right. But that's what my family and I had once been. Shadowhunters for the Clave. The evil and dangerous.

I told all of you who were here the first time I stood on this podium that we understood your fear and trepidation. And that we knew that we had to earn your trust. I hope that over these past weeks that we have. Having said that I hope that you have enough trust in us now to trust us with what we're about to do. What were about to do will be the next step taken towards winning this war. All of us coming together was the first.

One of the Shadowhunters we are rescuing is a young woman who in a few weeks time is going to present as an omega."

"How do you know that?" Meliorn, a Seelie Knight asked. He wasn't disrespectful, just honestly curious.

"That's a good question, Meliorn." He said. "And there's a simple answer. You all know that I have visions from The Angel. In some of the visions The Angel reveals to me the names of the Shadowhunters that will present as omegas in time for us to attempt to rescue them and bring them to safety.

I say attempt because not all of the Shadowhunters we attempt to rescue will believe us when we tell them the truth. In the Shadowhunter World, other than me there hasn't been an omega in centuries. I'm seen as an oddity just as Gideon Lightwood was seen as an oddity when he presented as an omega so long ago.

It will be hard for them hearing the truth. Some of them will believe us, some won't. All we can do is give them the truth and the chance. The chance to live. They can choose to come with us, or they can choose to stay in a world that has lied to them and will continue to do so. They may to choose to stay in a world that for now is comfortable for them. And that choice is there's to make. Their fate will be of their choosing.

For those who do choose to join us, some won't come alone. Others may come with them. There will be mates that these omegas have found before their presentations same as my siblings found theirs. Mates that will be unwilling to willing to leave them. There will also be mothers and fathers. Brothers and sisters.

You may be wondering why their families would choose to come with them. Well, take a look at the people standing beside me. I'm an omega and my family chose to come with me. They chose to stand by my side both before we knew of this war and after. I'm sure that there will be other families who choose to do the same.

As for tomorrows rescue mission as I said we will be rescuing both a young woman who will present as an omega as well as another. He is a man who my family and I have known all our lives. He is the doctor that has treated us for every ailment and injury from the moment we were born into this world until the day we left our Institute. But that's not why we want to rescue him.

Yesterday with the help of a vision and a conversation with a person who stands amongst you now I learned that he is her mate. He has a downworld mate." He said, watching as Dot started making her way through the crowd, as she made her way towards him at the podium.

"We will not leave him to live another day without his mate. We will not leave him to die at the hands of the Clave because his love is forbidden." He said as his eyes met Dot's at the bottom of the podium stairs. He nodded yes knowing what she wanted. "We will not leave him behind when we can save him and reunite him with his mate. And his child." He said as his family made room for Dot to stand beside him. "For those of you that are still leery about this man's arrival, you don't have to take my word for it when I tell you that he's a good man. That he's honorable and that you can trust him. That you can trust him with your lives the way we always have trusted him with ours. You can take hers." He said before stepping away from the podium, Dot taking his place.

Whispers broke out amongst the crowd.

"I believe Dot has something to say." He said, his command voice silencing the crowd again. A crowd that silenced in an instant.

"Thank you, Alec." Dot said, loud and clear. Her alpha voice carried easily across the silent crowd. "I hope that you don't need my reassurance to know that my husband can be trusted." She said, whispers breaking out amongst the crowd again.

Alec was shocked. Just as shocked as he knew his family was. They had known that she and Dr. Greymark were mates, but they'd had no idea that they were married.

"I hope that by now you would only need Alec's assurance." She said. "I trust Alec and his family with everything that I am, and I know that when they say something that it's the truth.

I only wish that I had gone to Alec and told him of my Luke in the beginning. My baby girl wouldn't have spent all this time without her daddy. And it would have saved him the pain of a vision, which until yesterday..." She started. "None of us know just how hard his visions are on him. We all know that they hit him hard, but until yesterday I had no idea how hard. And I'm sure I hadn't seen the hardest part.

He is truly the strongest person I have ever known to endure what he endures and then continue on doing all that he does. We couldn't have a stronger leader. A more compassionate leader. A leader who will move heaven and earth without a second thought to do what's right. And tomorrow his team, his family are going to once again do what's right. They're going to give me back the man I love.

Luke may be a Shadowhunter but he's not like the rest. He's a good and honorable man. A good and honorable Shadowhunter.

Our leaders here are a prime example of what Shadowhunters should be.

While my Luke may not be what they are, as exceptional as they are, but until I met Alec and his family Luke was the best Shadowhunter I had ever known. And I've been around for a long time. So tomorrow, thanks to them, I get him back. And he gets us back.

Alec was right when he said that what they will do tomorrow will be the next step taken towards winning this war by bringing in new faces to join our ranks. But he was wrong when he said that bringing us all together was the first. Being brave enough and strong enough to take this on in the first place was the first step towards winning this war and that's what our family of Shadowhunters did. They took the first step.

Now it's time that we added to the second. It's time that we continue bringing our family together. We all know that over time family's grow. As will ours. The family that we've become must grow so that as 'One Army' we can thrive. So that as 'One Army' we can win this war and put an end to the Clave's evil. So to do that I ask of you what our Shadowhunters have always of us. That you give those new faces a chance to earn your trust as well and to prove to you that they belong here. That they belong with us.

If you have a problem with this, any of this, which I really hope you don't please tell us now."

Alec held his breath as silence filled the air. Dot wasn't just asking about bringing her mate into Haven. She was asking about everything. Everything she had said, and everything he had said.

"Hey!" Izzy shouted, full alpha as she stepped up beside Dot. "The lady asked you a question. If you have a problem, say it now and say it loud!"

Alec couldn't help but smile and shake his head at his Izzy-diz. She had never been one to leave things hanging. 'Always so demanding.' He thought. And it was one of the great many things he loved about his baby sister.

"I'm good with it!" Shouted a tall vampire, Nicolas.

"I am too!" Shouted a werewolf, Christopher.

"So nobody has any problems?" Izzy asked.

A chorus of "no", "not at all", and "no ma'am" filled the air. He let out the breath he had been holding. More and more each day their army was truly coming together. The family that they were becoming was truly coming together. And they were all willing to let that family grow.

___________________

Alec ran his hand over the door of the smooth polished wood of the weapons cabinet in the bedroom he now shared with his husband. A much bigger weapons cabinet in a much bigger bedroom. He couldn't help but smile. His weapons cabinet was fully stocked. It had all of his usual weapons plus a few new ones. He knew that the new blades and arrows were his baby sister's doing. His family had been busy while he was away. Very busy.

In exploring the new bedroom, because it was a bedroom now that it had a door and a wall for privacy, he found that not only was his weapons cabinet fully stocked his closet was too. The closet he had shared with his alpha was gone. Now there were two closets. His closet now held not only his everyday clothes, his usual black t-shirts and cargo pants but a wide verity of new designer clothes. It was full of what he thought had to be the entire new Gucci clothing line.

Before he'd left for his honeymoon he'd had one nice Gucci shirt and one pair of slacks with shoes to match. The clothes he had worn to his bachelor party. Now he had shirts and slacks in what he thought must be every shade of grey, dark blue and black there was with shoes to match every outfit. What he was going to do with his new designer wardrobe he didn't know. He was a cargo pants kind of guy.

The new décor was nice. The small sitting area looked comfortable and added a nice touch to the spacious room. And the bed he would sleep in shortly with his warlock was not only bigger. It was softer too. His husband had said that once he was pregnant he would need something more comfortable than the bed they had slept in before. He would need something that would contour to his body while offering more support in all the right places. Since he had no idea what being pregnant would be like he could only take his alpha's word for it.

His husband had led him into their new bedroom after the meeting they'd had with their army. He hadn't had a chance to see it beforehand. They had been too busy hammering out the plans for the upcoming missions.

They had worked out what they had wanted to say in the message his father was going to deliver to Dr. Greymark's chambers later that evening an hour after his second shift in the infirmary was to start. New York was a different time zone so they had to work around that. Just as they would have to work around it for the mission.

They had also planned out emergency extraction plans for every scenario he could think of should his father not return within the ten minute timeframe they had agreed on. He had only recently reconnected with the father he was starting to remember from his early childhood years, and he was determined that he wasn't going to lose him now.

They had agreed that there was no way to extract Aline during an emergency rescue mission for his father and Dr. Greymark should they be captured simply because they would have no idea where she would be. For the moment they would just have to hope that she would be with Dr. Greymark when they portaled to Central Park tomorrow at noon. Otherwise they would have to use his backup plans to extract them before they moved to rescue Lydia from Idris on Saturday.

He knew that the thought of going after Lydia unsettled his family. It unsettled him too, but he knew that it had to be done. It was The Angel's will that it be done so they would do it. It also unsettled him not knowing for certain that the plans they had made for the extraction were firmly in place. Until they received some sort of word back from Dr. Greymark everything in New York was still up in the air. They just had to hope and pray that they received word back from him before the noon extraction time they had requested in their letter.

If that response didn't come, they would have to find another way. What was imperative was that they extracted Dr. Greymark before he was due to leave for Idris. A tentative emergency extraction plan for Aline was in the works should it become necessary. They would have to get to her quickly once Dr. Greymark disappeared and search parties went out. Either way, they were going to get both Dr. Greymark and Aline out of New York and to safety.

They had decided that a fire message to Lydia asking that she be in Angel Square at noon on Saturday sent that morning was the best way to get her where they wanted her to be for her extraction. They had decided that the message should be from a 'secret admirer'. The plan was to portal into Alicante and to lay discreetly in wait. They would wait to rescue her immediately after her presentation. And it was imperative that she publicly present as an omega.

Thanks to his father's research into Lydia they knew the time that she was born. A presentation occurred eighteen years after the time of birth give or take a few minutes. According to his father Lydia was due to present at 12:07 pm. How his father had remembered that small detail he didn't know. But he was glad that he had.

They knew that in rescuing Lydia from Angel Square, a very public place, that they were going to reveal to the Shadowhunter World that they were still alive. But that was part of the plan. It was time that the Shadowhunter World knew.

Both his warlock and his mother had felt that he could use a little extra rest before the day to come. It was a change for him. Resting before a mission in the past had never been an option. At least not for him. There was always too much that had to be done so he did it while his family rested. That was always what had been most important to him. That his family get what they needed.

While he felt fine and wasn't the least bit tired, after a quick exam by his mother she had felt that while he was fully recovered from the day before, he was still exhausted by the day and needed a good night's sleep before the upcoming mission. He had agreed to going to bed early solely to make her and his husband feel better. And if he was to be honest, the rest of the family as well.

"Sweetheart, come sit down." Magnus said from behind him. "You're supposed to be resting."

"I know." He said. "I was just exploring a bit. I didn't have time to before the meeting."

"I'm not sure that one could call that a 'meeting', love." Magnus said, chuckling. Only his Shadowhunter would consider a mass gathering of an army for what was essentially a briefing a 'meeting'. "I think it was a bit more than that."

"Maybe so." He said, shrugging as he closed the door to his new weapons cabinet. "There's been a lot of changes."

"I know." Magnus said, taking his angel by the hand and leading him towards their new bed. "We wanted to build a home that would meet our needs, both current and future."

"I know. I don't know what I'm going to do with all those clothes though." He said as they sat down on their comfy new bed.

"You'll wear them eventually, love." Magnus said, shaking his head at his silly Shadowhunter. "But I really don't think checking out your new wardrobe is what's keeping you from sleeping. You're worried."

"I am." He said, sighing. "I don't like this thing with dad. It's too dangerous."

"I agree that it's dangerous but like he said, this is war." Magnus said softly, cupping his young love's cheek. "Risks are going to have to be taken. You know that."

"I do." He said. "But dad hasn't been in the field in a long time. A really long time."

"True. But he's been training with you, hasn't he?" Magnus asked.

"Yes." He said softly.

"And he's progressing well, isn't he?" Magnus asked.

"Yes." He said.

"Then I'm sure that he's more than well prepared." Magnus said. "You're going to have to learn to trust him and our family to do some things without you because you won't always be able to do things with them. Both now and after this war. We can't tuck everyone away for a week every three months for the rest of eternity. I think you know that."

"I do. I do know that." He said. "And I do trust them. I really do. But thinking of them being out there...I've always been there to watch over them. And after my last heat..."

"That wasn't your fault, sweetheart." Magnus said, cutting him off. "You have to move past that. You can't carry that around forever."

"I know." He said. "I just...I don't know how." He said softly.

"I know. But you have to try." Magnus said.

"I know." He said.

"Look, I know that you're still struggling with what happened and that you will for a while." Magnus said, taking his husband's hands in his. "But I promise that it will get easier."

"If you say so." He said. "I just...I don't know how to not worry."

"I know, love. And it will be hard for you for a while. It's just going to take you some time to let some of the worry and fear you have go." Magnus said. "Believe it or not I do understand why you're afraid.

In a way it's like a parent fearing for their child when they take those first steps into adulthood. Towards doing things without you. I know it's not the same, but I think it might be pretty close.

And our family, they're a far cry from being inexperienced children. They do kill demons after all." He said, pressing a soft kiss to his Shadowhunter's forehead. "Consider it practice for when our babies step out on their own. Okay?"

"Okay." He said, nodding yes.

"Good." Magnus said. "Now, you should get some sleep."

"Mm. Not yet." He said. Leaning in he pressed a soft kiss to his warlock's lips. Once, twice, three times.

"Sweetheart..." Magnus started after the third soft kiss.

"I know." He said, pressing another soft kiss to his husband's lips. "Just kisses."

Magnus deliberated for a moment. His young warrior needed to sleep, sleep he was prepared to help him get if he could just get him to lay down. But he couldn't think of a reason why he couldn't honor this simple request. After all, a few kisses weren't going to hurt anything.

"Just kisses." He said.

Alec smiled, pressing another soft kiss to his alpha's lips. Reaching up he slid his hands into his warlock's silky soft hair, holding him close. Licking his husband's bottom lip on the next soft kiss he was pleased when he was so easily granted entrance. Fireworks went off in his head at the soft brush of their tongues. His husband tasted delicious. He couldn't help but hum out his pleasure. He would have smiled when his warlock's arms slid around his waist pulling him closer, but his mouth was otherwise occupied.

Magnus' heart jumped when his precious Alexander's hands slid into his hair. He loved when his Shadowhunter did that and his angel knew it. He opened easily when his love licked his bottom lip seeking entrance. Fireworks went off in his head at the soft brush of their tongues. As always, his angel tasted divine. He would have smiled at his husband's low hum of what he knew was pleasure had his mouth not been otherwise occupied.

Tilting his head, he changed the angle of the kiss taking it deeper. He was so lost in his love and the magnificent kiss that he hadn't realize just how long it had lasted until he'd had no choice but to come up for air. He had a desperate need to breathe. He could only hold his precious Alexander close as they fought for breath, their foreheads pressed together.

"Have I told you what a magnificent kisser you are?" He asked, panting.

"A time or two I think." Alec said, fighting to catch his breath.

"Well, I'll tell you again." He said. "You...are...the...most...magnificent...kisser." He said, punctuating each word.

"What can I say?" Alec asked. "I had an excellent teacher." He said, smiling as he pressed a soft kiss to his warlock's nose.

"I think it's time for sleep now, angel." He said.

"Okay. Will you hold me while I sleep?" Alec asked.

"Of course, sweetheart." He said. Climbing up he turned down their bed for his love. "You haven't changed."

"No." Alec said. "I didn't get that far." He said, sheepish. He was supposed to be getting ready for bed when he'd gotten distracted by his explorations of their new room.

"What am I going to do with you?" He asked, teasing. Snapping his fingers he changed his love into his favorite sleep clothes. "Do you need help sleeping?" He asked.

"I think so." Alec said, climbing back up on the soft mattress. He may not be tired, but he knew that he could use the sleep. Especially with the day to come. And it would make his husband happy.

He went easily into his warlock's arms as they laid down on the most comfortable bed he had ever felt. He understood then why his alpha had thought that he would need it he was pregnant.

"Relax, angel." Magnus said softly, pressing another soft kiss to his husband's forehead. He could feel his sweet omega's tension. "Sleep now." He said, cupping his love's cheek. He pushed soft magic out and into his Shadowhunter watching his young warrior as his eyes grew heavy as he slowly eased into sleep.

Alec couldn't help but relax in his warlock's arms. The soft magic he felt easing into him and the comfort of his alpha's touch as he drifted towards sleep made him feel safe and secure.

Magnus couldn't help but smile watching his angel. He looked so sleepy, and he was tired rather he admitted it or not. He would have pulled his magic back had his love not been so exhausted, but he didn't. He wanted to give his Shadowhunter a deep and restful sleep. The day had already been long and tedious planning out the mission for the next day and Lydia Branwell's extraction from Idris on Saturday. Easing just a little more magic into his precious Alexander he pushed him deeper into a sleep to deep for his soft little snores.

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