Chapter 34

Hard Truths

WARNING – SEXUAL CONTENT

Not Intended for readers under the age of 18

WARNING - THIS CHAPTER IS NOT INTENDED FOR READERS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 - I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR READERS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 WHO READ THIS!!!!!!!

A/N: Just a heads up to make reading easier, some of the more intimate parts of this chapter switch back and forth between Alec and Magnus's perspectives.

ALL SMUT WILL BE IN BOLD

PS: I own no rights to the song in this chapter. All music rights belong to Turning Page

To My Wonderful Readers: I know there has been some delay on new chapters and there is a reason for that. This is what I call a 'remastered' chapter. From Chapter 28 – Mission Plans & Extractions Part 2 through Chapter 36 – The Claiming Part 3 I am reworking and enhancing the chapters to include new story that's vital in us turning the next corner in this journey. Please be patient with me. New chapters are coming, but these must be done first. I hope you enjoy all that is new.

- B

Alec had spent the last twenty minutes starring at his new parabatai/eternity rune. No one could explain it. His baby sister thought that maybe the 'eternity' addition to the rune represented their immortality at which time he'd pointed out that he isn't immortal yet.

His husband thought that perhaps that it was as Belle had said that day at the pond. That it reflected that they were destined to be together for eternity therefore they would be parabatai for eternity. And while he wasn't immortal yet that was fated to change very soon. So far, that was the most logical theory. But he was going to ask his very cryptic great, great grandmother the next time he saw her.

There was one thing that there were no questions about though. When he and his Clare-bear had retaken the parabatai oath it had been angelic magic that they had both seen and felt just as there had been no doubt in anyone's mind that it had been that angelic magic that had bound them for a second time leaving the new rune behind. How it was possible no one knew.

After their 'symbolic' ceremony he and his parabatai had decided that they wanted to celebrate. So, after changing out of her pretty white dress they had made the climb up their tree for the sixty-foot jump.

He had laughed and she had giggled when they'd landed side by side on their feet. His alpha had scowled the entire time which he had expected but it had turned into a smile when he'd gotten a soft kiss. This time their father had just shook his head and chuckled. He'd been training with them long enough now to know that while it was a silly thing to do, he knew that they could handle it. He'd actually wanted to give it a try himself, but his fiancée had said that if the jump didn't kill him that she would.

Their mother had been more than a little annoyed with them. While she'd seen them make the jump before in her mind having done it successfully once didn't make it any less reckless and idiotic. Their grandmother had only sighed in exasperation. Not much surprised her anymore, including their antics.

Luke had nearly had a heart attack and had begun to question whether or not he'd misdiagnosed him all those years ago when he'd determined that he'd made a full recovery after his fall. He thought that he might have brain damage after all. He'd also asked if Clary had taken a head trauma of her own that he just didn't know about. Dot had been utterly speechless.

Jia, Leenie, and Lydia had been just plain dumbfounded. They'd all known that he and his team had 'mad skills' as Leenie had put it, but she never would have imagined just how 'mad' they were.

And of course, their siblings had wanted a turn. He'd promised Si after he missed their first tree jump that the next one would be all his, so he'd gone next. His best friend turned brother had wanted to go again once he'd landed safely on the ground, but their mother had told him no, that he'd had his turn. And when his Izzy-Diz and little brother had made their jump, they'd made it together.

Once they'd all had their fun, both from the jumps and seeing the various expressions on everyone's faces, sweet pea and Ziva-Diva had asked when he would teach them to make the jump. Luke and Dot had replied 'never' in unison. But their frowns had turned upside down when he'd given them a discreet smile and wink telling them that one day, he'd teach them how. It might not be for another decade or so, but just knowing that their day would come had been enough for them.

Everyone had found it cute when Luke's Sunshine had asked his favorite little Lightwood if she wanted to be her par-tai when they grew up which of course her best friend did. Caroline had said yes when Luke and Dot had asked if Madzie could have her first sleepover with Ziva at their place. Everyone at the ceremony had seen that something had gone down between the Lightwood brothers before the ceremony and that something was seriously wrong between Gideon and his wife.

Caroline was a smart woman and knew that since there was no hiding what had been seen by everyone that she had two choices. One, she could tell everyone the truth, or two she could let them guess and have rumors spread. She'd already been the subject of more than enough gossip in her mind as a result of Gideon's actions, so she'd just told everyone the truth. That she and Madzie were going to be staying with Izabella for a while.

While she'd wanted her daughter close, she knew that Dot was right when she'd told her that it would give her a chance to try and process some of the fallout of the separation with her husband. And a would give her a little time to try to catch her breath as well as get some much needed comfort from her mother-in-law. It would also give her a chance to gather some of her and Madzie's things to make settling in at their new home a little easier. But a sworn promise had been made that should her daughter need her that Dot and Luke would have her baby back in her arms faster than she could blink.

It was suspected by the angel babies' droopy eyes and yawns that it wouldn't take long for them to crash once given a place to rest their little heads, but they hadn't parted ways before they had all gathered for a family photo.

Luke had volunteered to take it but was quickly told that he couldn't possibly take a photo that he's supposed to be in. He'd objected of course, saying that it was a Lightwood family photo despite the fact that his baby girl's best friend had already pulled her over to stand with her in front of his favorite patient.

He'd been asked how being as brilliant as he is how he could be so dense which had confused him. It hadn't taken long for every Lightwood there to tell him that he's just as much a Lightwood as the rest of them, that he's family and that his little family is their family too, so he needed to get his butt in the picture. He'd been too shocked after that to object, so he took his place beside his wife who was already beside her best friend.

Apparently, his precious Dorthea and Sunshine had already known what he hadn't. Or better yet, they'd already realized what he hadn't. That he's a Lightwood and long since had been. He'd never had a family that had accepted him before outside of his wife and daughter so the thought of having a large family that loved and accepted him had been a bit overwhelming. What he didn't know is that everyone there wanted nothing more than to get their hands on his parents to ring their necks. They just didn't understand how the family he'd been born into could have made someone so special feel so worthless.

But before Sebastian had taken the photo there had been a little repositioning of who would be where. Luke would be beside his wife with his baby girl on his hip while little Madzie would be on his with his husband on one side and his parabatai in front of him. There had been a bit of debate as to who would get that position as all of the remaining Lightwood children had wanted to be at their brother's side, but as it was his and Clary's night she'd won out.

The Lightwood children had stood proudly by their parents with Izabella standing in front of her son and his fiancée. She'd been over the moon when she'd learned that her baby boy was going to marry his first and only love and couldn't wait to help the bride to be start planning the wedding. And she couldn't wait to tell all of Haven the wonderful news either.

She'd scolded her son for being afraid to tell her, for being afraid that she would be upset when all he wanted was to grasp every moment of happiness he could and hold on tight. It was the memories of those moments with her own fated mate that made being without him bearable. She'd told him that there's only so much time for love and you have to take what you can get pain be damned.

But before they'd all said goodnight after their tree jump and the photo there had been a second announcement. His father and Luke had announced that the next parabatai ceremony would be theirs. Again, everyone had been happy and 'congratulations' and 'about times' had been given. Apparently, everyone else had already seen what the two soon to be parabatai hadn't. That they were a perfect match.

No one outside the family knew that when the time came that their father would forever feel the pain of his parabatai's mortal death, but that he's more than happy to take what he can get. And if that meant hopefully a couple of decades together that was enough for him.

"Continuing to stare at it isn't going to tell us anymore about it, sweetheart." Magnus said as he sat down beside his Shadowhunter on their bed.

While he'd never been to a parabatai ceremony before and hadn't had any idea what to expect he certainly hadn't expected what he'd seen. But if there was one thing that everyone agreed on it's that The Angel had approved of what the two young Shadowhunters had chosen to do and had provided a way to show that approval.

"I know." He said. "I just don't understand it."

"None of us do." Magnus said. "But maybe Belle will have answers. I've never been to a parabatai ceremony before, so I had no idea what to expect but was any of that normal?"

"Some of it was." He said. "The white attire was. And as the oath is said a silver strand of angelic magic is what forges the bond as the parabatai rune forms. It's just not like this one. But the magic being there a second time and a new rune forming is in no way normal. But neither is a second ceremony for that matter."

"Well, normal or not I'm glad that you and Biscuit had the magic again second ceremony or not." Magnus said. "And it was rather beautiful to watch."

"Yeah. It was." He said, smiling at the memory of the beautiful night with his parabatai and their family. "Clary, she has this way of making everything she touches beautiful. Beauty, it just surrounds her. It always has."

"So, I've noticed." Magnus said, gently cupping his Shadowhunter's cheek. "But she's not the only one who makes everything they touch beautiful, Alexander. You do it too. Beauty surrounds you in everything you do. In everything you touch." He said, pressing a soft kiss to his angel's lips. "You radiate beauty and I'm looking forward to seeing that beauty every day for the rest of eternity."

Alec thought that his alpha's soft kiss was sweet, but he couldn't help but blush hearing his words. He never would have thought that anyone would see him that way. But his warlock, he's always seen him as beautiful too. 'How ironic.' He thought.

"I've always thought that you're just like Clare-bear." He said softly. "From the first time I heard your voice on that bridge I thought it was beautiful. And when I opened my eyes all I saw was beauty. I hear it in your voice. I see it in your eyes. I see it when you smile. You are beauty, alpha."

"Well, if that's the case then we're going to make some beautiful babies." Magnus said, pressing another soft kiss to his breathtakingly beautiful Shadowhunter's lips. His words warmed his heart. They always did. He'd been told that he was beautiful in the past, but he'd never seen it. Or believed it.

But with his angel, it was different. When his precious Alexander told him that he was beautiful, that he had a beautiful laugh and smile and eyes it always touched a special place deep inside. A place that he'd never known existed until his love had found it.

"I'm pretty sure you're right." He said, pressing a soft kiss of his own to his warlock's lips. "I don't suppose that I can talk you into taking me to bed, can I?" He asked softly, his breath quickening.

He'd been aching for his husband for days. He'd been needing his touch in a way that was almost painful. While it was his rest period, he still needed him. And he was sure that his alpha needed him too.

Their soft kisses were sweet, but he wanted more. He needed more. He needed the man that he loved.

Gazing into his favorite crystal blue eyes Magnus saw the need there. A need that matched his own. While it was his rest period and he didn't need to be strained in any way, he still needed him. They still needed each other.

"I guess you can." He said, pressing yet another soft kiss to his young love's lips.

Sliding his hands into his warlock's hair Alec pressed a harder kiss to his lips. He hummed low in the back of his throat from the sweet pleasure when his alpha opened for him when he licked his bottom lip, when their tongues brushed. Fireworks went off in his head at the beauty of the delicious kiss.

Magnus's heart leapt when his love's hands slid into his hair. He didn't hesitate to open for him when he licked his bottom lip seeking entrance. He gave it gladly. He would have smiled if he could have when his precious Alexander hummed low in the back of his throat if he could have. Fireworks went off in his head when their tongues brushed from the beauty of the kiss. His Shadowhunter had always been a magnificent kisser.

Tilting his head Alec took the kiss deeper. Savoring the heavenly taste of his warlock on his tongue he quickly unbuttoned the first button of his warlock's shirt. With deft hands and precision, he worked his way down the black silk.

"You are so beautiful." He breathed when the kiss broke, as he parted the silk and revealed the firm muscles of his alpha's utterly delectable belly and abs. He couldn't help himself when he ran his hands gently over them, softly caressing his husband's soft caramel colored skin. He traced each muscle and ridge with his fingertips, the muscles and ridges he so loved to trace with his tongue.

Magnus's blood was humming beneath his skin. His angel's hands gently running across his belly and abs felt wonderful. It had him aching to have those hands, hands that were both strong and gentle, touching every part of him.

"Not as beautiful as you." He said, utterly captivated by the man he loved.

Alec smiled as he pushed his warlock back on their bed and straddled him. Leaning down he pressed another soft kiss to his lips. Reaching down between them he unblocked his alpha's belt and unbuttoned his pants, unzipping them when the pesky belt and button was out of his way.

Sliding his hand beneath the soft silk of his husband's boxers to reach the thick cock that he craved to have inside him he gently stroked and caressed it. He ached to have it filling him.

Magnus smiled as his angel pushed him back on their soft bed and straddled him. The weight of him on his hips felt perfect.

He let him have his way when he unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. The best anticipation coursed through him when his husband's hand slid beneath the waistband of his silk boxers to reach his aching cock. Beautiful pleasure washed over him as his love gently stroked and caressed his hardened length.

But he couldn't keep his hands to himself. He didn't want to. Sliding his own hands beneath the waistband of his young love's soft cotton pants and matching white silk boxers he gently caressed and molded the perfect ass that he loved. The beautiful ass that he would soon fill as he made the gentlest love to his Shadowhunter.

Alec pressed a hard biting kiss to his warlock's throat, the best possible anticipation coursing through him when his alpha reached beneath the waistband of his soft cotton pants and boxers. Beautiful pleasure washed over him as he gently caressed and molded his ass.

Pulling his hand from his alpha's thick cock he sat up. Reaching up he unbuttoned the first button of his shirt.

"No." Magnus said, stilling his young love's hands as the first button came undone. "It's my turn." He said as his angel's hands moved for him, smiling as he unbuttoned each button in turn revealing to him his husband's magnificent chest, belly, and abs.

His Shadowhunter hadn't been in training since before their wedding but there wasn't a single part of his body that had changed. His muscles were still firm, his belly still flat, and his abs still wonderfully toned. "I love your body. Every inch of it. I love touching and exploring it." He said, his hands roaming up and down his precious Alexander's chest.

"I think you've said that a time or two." Alec said, blushing. But there was something that had been bothering him. Something that he didn't like. "But I haven't been training. It's changed."

"No, love." He said. He could see the insecurity shining in his breathtaking crystal blue eyes. "There isn't a thing about it that has changed. It's still perfect. It's just the way it's always been."

"Do you mean it?" Alec asked. While he knew that his alpha wouldn't lie to him, for some reason he still needed to hear the words.

"Every word, sweetheart." He said.

"But it will change." Alec said softly. "You say that you'll still love it when I'm bigger. But..." He started.

"I will still love it. Every inch of it." He said, gently cutting his husband off. He'd been wondering what it was that had put the sudden insecurity he saw in his love's eyes there.

He'd told him more than once that he would still love everything about his body as it grew as their children did, that he would caress his swollen belly and show it love. And him. So, he didn't know where this was coming from.

"Okay." Alec said softly. He could see the truth of his warlock's words in his eyes. He'd been afraid. He'd been afraid that things would change as his body grew as their children did. Why, he didn't know, not when his husband had told him more than once that he would still love everything about him.

Leaning down he pressed a soft kiss to his lips. He wanted to taste him on his tongue before the future father of their children made love to him. Licking his bottom lip, he was pleased when he was granted easy entrance again. He loved the sound of his alpha's soft moan when their tongues brushed and danced. Sliding his hands into his hair again he tilted his head and took the heavenly kiss deeper. He wanted the beautiful taste of him on his tongue. As always, he tasted delicious.

Sweet anticipation hummed beneath Magnus's skin when his Shadowhunter pressed a soft kiss to his lips. He didn't hesitate to open for him when he licked his bottom lip again. He moaned softly when their tongues brushed and danced the sweetest dance. He loved his angel's kisses. Fierce, passionate, slow, sweet, it didn't matter. He loved them all.

It thrilled him when his love's hands slid into his hair as he tilted his head and took the kiss deeper. He savored the taste of his husband on his tongue. As always, his angel tasted divine.

"Make love to me." Alec breathed when the kiss broke, as he gazed down into the chocolate brown eyes he loved so much.

His Shadowhunter's breathless words were all that Magnus needed to hear when the magnificent kiss broke. Gazing up into the crystal blue eyes he loved so much he sat up, wrapping him in his arms.

"Your wish is my command." He said. "Would you like me to undress us?"

"Yes, please." Alec said, pressing a biting kiss to his husband's throat.

Snapping his fingers Magnus shed them of their clothes.

"I'm going to peel you out of that beautiful white sometime." He said, enjoying the pleasure of his husband's biting kisses. And he meant it. His precious Alexander looked like the angel that he is in his Shadowhunter white, and he would peel him out of it piece by piece sometime very soon.

"Whatever you say." Alec said, excited by the thought. He loved it when his warlock peeled him out of his clothes. But the feel of his thick cock trapped against his between them had him aching with a desperate need.

The feel of his young warrior's cock trapped against his between them had Magnus aching with need. A desperate need he would soon satisfy. Gently guiding his angel by the hips, he laid him back against their soft pillows. The magnificent cock on display for him as he settled himself right where he needed to be between his perfectly toned legs was a beautiful sight.

His love knew how much he enjoyed seeing his perfect cock. He knew how much he enjoyed watching when he pleasured himself and how much he enjoyed watching as he gave him pleasure. He just loved watching.

"I'm going to taste that cock very soon, Alexander." He said, pressing a hard biting kiss to his angel's throat.

Alec went easily when his warlock guided him back against their soft pillows. He couldn't help but smile watching him study his hardened length before settling himself right where he needed to be. He knew how much he enjoyed seeing his cock. He knew how much he enjoyed watching him when he pleasured himself and how much he enjoyed watching as he pleasured him. His husband loved watching him just as much as he loved it when he did.

"Please do." He breathed through the delicious pleasure of the hard biting kiss. His words thrilled him. He loved it when his warlock sucked his cock, when he fucked him with his sinfully hot mouth. It was all beautiful wet heat.

Sliding his hands up and down his husband's back, over the soft skin and firm muscles he gently grazed his beautiful skin with his fingertips, smiling when he felt him shiver.

Magnus smiled at his love's words. 'Please do.' He knew how much his husband loved it when he sucked his cock, when he fucked him with his mouth. And it was something that he loved doing.

The sweet pleasure of his hands moving up and down his back, gently grazing his skin with his fingertips was heavily.

Reaching between them he gripped his angel's hardened length and jerked it as he pressed sucking hisses to his shoulder. He was going to pleasure him as he marked him. He loved marking him. And his soft moans were beautiful.

Alec's fingers dug into his warlock's back when he gripped his hardened length and jerked it, as he pressed a hard sucking hiss to his shoulder. He knew that he was marking him, and he loved it when he did. He couldn't stop his soft moans from the pleasure. But he wanted more. They had gone longer than usual without intimacy, and he needed it.

Magnus loved the feel of his husband's fingers digging into his back as he pleasured him. But he knew that it wouldn't be long before he wanted more. Before he needed more. And he needed it too.

Breaking the hard sucking kiss, he studied the mark he'd left on his shoulder. It was purpling up beautifully.

"I love you, Alexander. So very much." He whispered softly in his ear.

Alec's heart leapt in his chest at the whispered words. He'd heard them countless times, but his heart still leapt for joy every time he heard them. And he knew that it always would.

"I love you too. More than anything." He said. He never would have dreamt a love like this, a love this deep was possible. But it was and he felt so blessed to have found it.

Smiling, Magnus pressed a tender kiss to his angel's lips. His very own angel. Releasing his thick cock he snapped his fingers, thoroughly lubing them both. While there was so much more that he wanted to do, he knew that they both needed this most. Pressing another kiss to his love's lips he licked his bottom lip seeking his own entrance. As their tongues danced a sweet dance, he lined himself up with his husband's entrance and eased the head of his cock through his tight rim. The pleasure of his precious Alexander's tight channel clamping down around his length was breathtaking. And his love's low moan was heavenly music. But there he waited, the head of his cock resting just inside his Shadowhunter's channel.

The best anticipation hummed along Alec's skin when his alpha snapped his fingers, thoroughly lubing them both. While there was more that he wanted to do, ways that he wanted to pleasure his one true love in that moment, they both needed this most and he knew it. He didn't hesitate to open for his warlock when he licked his bottom lip after the tender kiss seeking entrance. He hummed low in the back of his throat when the head of the thick cock he'd been aching for eased through his rim. The pleasure of the sweet intrusion and the beauty of the sweet kiss as their tongues danced a heavenly dance was breathtaking. He reveled in the pleasure of his husband's cock resting just inside his channel. The delicious stretch and the beginning sense of fullness was magnificent.

Magnus didn't want the tender kiss to end, he never wanted their kisses to end, but it had to. They had to breathe. Breaking the beautiful kiss, he pressed another tender kiss to his Shadowhunter's forehead as they fought for breath, as he moved inch by magnificent inch into the tight channel that was calling him. He listened to his love's moans as his fingers dug harder into his back as he held him close. But he didn't hear his own breathless moans.

Pressing yet another soft kiss to his angel's forehead he eased in that final inch, fully sheathing himself inside the one he loved. The pleasure of the tight muscles clamping down around him was exquisite.

Alec didn't want the tender kiss to end, but it had to. They always to. They had this pesky need to breathe. But he consoled himself with the promise of more kisses, an eternity of sweet and beautiful kisses. He thought that his alpha's tender kiss to his forehead as they fought for breath was sweet. He always did. He didn't hear his moans as his husband eased inch by magnificent inch into him, but he heard his. And they were beautiful music.

He didn't know that he was digging his fingers hard into his alpha's back to hold him close, hard enough to bruise. He was too caught up in the exquisite pleasure of his husband slowly filling him. The sense of stretch and fullness as he took in each inch of his warlock's length was magnificent. And the pleasure when he eased that final inch in, fully sheathing himself inside him was exquisite.

Magnus didn't want to wait for the tight muscles of his love's channel clamping down around to relax. He wanted to move. But he wouldn't. Not yet. It had been too long since he'd filled his precious Alexander and he didn't want to hurt him.

Alec didn't want to wait for his alpha to move, but he knew that he had to. He knew that he was waiting for the muscles clamping down around him to relax. His warlock wouldn't risk hurting him. It had been too long since he'd been filled for him to not wait. But he couldn't have been more relieved when he felt his muscles finally relax.

Magnus couldn't have been more relieved when he felt the muscles of his husband's channel finally relax around him. Easing back just a few inches he thrust gently back into him. The pleasure of his love's muscles clamping down tight around him was sinful. But despite how badly he wanted to pound into him, to take him hard and fast, he wouldn't. He was going to go slow. He was going to make gentle love to him.

Again and again, he eased back and thrust gently back into his one true love, delicious pleasure washing over him in magnificent waves. He smiled at his precious Alexander's words. A chorus of 'yes'. With each thrust he eased back further and further knowing that the longer but still gentle scrapes against his prostate would give him exquisite pleasure.

The best possible anticipation and pleasure coursed through Alec as his warlock eased back and thrust gently back into him. The pleasure was utterly sinful. He knew then by the gentleness of the thrust that his alpha was going to go slow, that he was going to make gentle love to him.

Again and again his alpha eased back and thrust gently back into him. He didn't hear his chorus of 'yes' as delicious pleasure washed over him in magnificent waves. The pleasure of each gentle scrape across his prostate and the friction on his aching cock between them was wonderful. He knew that he wouldn't last much longer. But he knew that when he came that it would be an utterly decadent release and he wanted his husband to cum with him.

Magnus knew that his sweet angel was getting close when his words were replaced by soft gasps. He knew that the gentle scrapes against his prostate and the pressure on his cock with each thrust was pushing him closer and closer to the edge. He wouldn't last much longer, and neither would he.

With two more gentle thrusts Alec came, his warm cum coating their bellies when his cock erupted. His head spun from the intensity of his release. He'd been craving this. He'd been needing this release and when he'd found it his mind went blank and his body shuddered from the pleasure that coursed through him.

With two more gentle thrusts Magnus came, his cock erupting deep inside his Shadowhunter. His head spun from the intensity of his release. He'd been needing this. Craving this. His mind went blank, and his body shuddered at the blissful pleasure that coursed through him. He knew that his angel had found his own release by the warm cum between them and the shudders he felt beneath him.

Alec knew that his alpha had found his own release by the shudders he felt beneath his hands. He was still holding him close and didn't want to let go. As his mind started to focus, he couldn't help but smile. He loved it when his husband's forehead rested against his after they made love. He wrapped his arms around his precious warlock holding him as close as he could as aftershocks racked them both.

As Magnus's mind started to focus, he noticed that his forehead was resting against his love's and felt his arms wrapped around him as aftershocks racked them both. When he felt his body still, he lifted his head and gazed into the beautiful crystal blue eyes he loved so much. And he saw it there. Love. His angel's love. A love that warmed him in every way.

"Are you alright?" Alec asked once his husband's body stilled. When his warlock lifted his head as he fought for breath, he gazed into the beautiful chocolate brown eyes he loved so much. And he saw it there. Love. The love that warmed him in every way.

"I'm perfect." He said, pressing a kiss to his Shadowhunter's sweaty forehead. "Are you?"

"Mm-hmm." Alec said, having caught his breath. "I would say that you're going to have to stop making a mess of me, but I really don't want you to. That would mean no fun."

Magnus chuckled at his husband's words. His could be so silly sometimes.

"You can be so silly sometimes." He said, speaking his thoughts. Lifting his hips, he eased out of his love and sat back. He studied the mess they'd made and his beautiful angel. He couldn't help but smile. His Shadowhunter was utterly breathtaking with his sweat damp hair with a light sheen of it on his porcelain pale skin. And his eyes. They sparkled beautifully in the soft light from the bedside lamp. "You are so beautiful." He said softly.

"I'm a mess." Alec said, laughing at his silly warlock. But it was his alpha who was beautiful. He was utterly breathtaking with his sweat damp hair and a light sheen of it on his caramel colored skin. And his eyes. They sparkled beautifully in the soft light from the bedside lamp. "But I think you've got me beat." He said. "You're breathtaking."

"If you say so, sweetheart." He said, rolling his eyes. Snapping his fingers, he cleaned them up and dressed them. They would both need a shower in the morning, but this would do for now. He smiled. His Shadowhunter wasn't the only one who could be silly.

"I say so." Alec said. He laughed again when he saw what his warlock had dressed him in. "Did you really just dress me in turtle ninja pajamas?"

"Ninja Turtles, angel." He said, smiling at the sound of his precious Alexander's laugh. It was a beautiful sound he loved hearing. "And yes, I did."

"Whatever." Alec said, rolling his eyes. "Now who's silly? But if I have to sleep in turtle ninja pajamas you have to sleep in something silly too." He said, tugging on his alpha's comfy sleep shirt.

"Like what?" He asked, wondering what his love might want him to sleep in. Knowing his husband wasn't to be out done he knew that it was going to be something far sillier than ninja turtle pajamas.

"The little ponies, I think." Alec said, laughing at the look on his husband's face. The look of incredulity was priceless. He'd been determined that he was going to dress him in something sillier than what he'd been dressed in, and he wouldn't give up until he got his way. "You know the little one's that the angel babies play with that have the heart on the butt."

"You want me to wear My Little Pony pajamas?" He asked. He couldn't believe what his Shadowhunter wanted to dress him in, but he should have known that it would be something far sillier than the Ninja Turtle pajamas that he'd dressed him in. He just hadn't expected it to be this silly. But it was okay. He loved it when his fierce young warrior's silly side came out. It was a side that wasn't seen often, so it was always fun when it did. But that didn't mean that he couldn't put up a bit of a fight. "Sweetheart..." He started.

"Hey, you started this." Alec said, cutting him off. "The little ponies."

Magnus gazed into his favorite crystal blue eyes saw the amusement, and the determination. He wasn't getting out of this. Snapping his fingers, he changed his pajamas. He was now wearing the silliest pajamas he'd ever seen. Little pink and purple ponies. They were the silliest pajamas a grown man could ever possibly wear. "Happy now?"

"Very." Alec said, trying hard not to crack up. But he wasn't sure that he'd be able to hold it all in. His warlock was wearing the silliest pajamas he'd ever seen.

"I think it's time for sleep now." He said. He didn't want to look at his new sleepwear any longer than he absolutely had to. "But if someone comes to the door, you're answering it." He said, laying down beside the man he loved, the man he loved enough to indulge whenever he could. And this was an indulgence. His sweet angel asked for very little and gave so much to everyone, so he enjoyed giving him what he did ask for.

"If you say so." Alec said, snuggling in his alpha's strong arms where he felt safe and secure. And sometimes he needed that.

"I say so." He said, holding his love close. "Sleep now."

"Will you stay with me?" Alec asked softly. "In the morning. Every day I wake up and you're gone. Unless something's wrong, you're always gone when I wake up."

"Yes, sweetheart. I'll stay." He said. His angel was right. He had been leaving early for battle magic training unless something was wrong, and it would seem that he wasn't the only one who'd been missing waking up with his husband in his arms. "You should sleep. It's been a long day and you need to rest."

"A long and magical day." Alec said, smiling. Beautiful memories had been made that night and he knew that he would never forget them. They were too precious. "I love you." He said softly.

"I love you too, angel." He said, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

He'd waited a long time to see a ring on his oldest and dearest friend's finger and hear her giddiness when she'd told her best friend. She had already made plans to sit down with Dorthea to start planning her big day, a day that would be a wonderful dream come true.

And he'd seen the happiness in Izabella's eyes when Robert had told her of their engagement. He'd also enjoyed watching her scold him the way only a mother could for being afraid to tell her. Seeing a man like Robert Lightwood squirm as though he were still a boy was more than a little amusing.

And then there was the angel babies. It had been precious when little Ziva had asked sweet pea to be her parabatai when they grew up. Well, par-tai. The word had sounded so cute coming from her lips.

But there were a few things that troubled him. One was Gideon. He'd seen in his eyes a kind of rage that he'd only seen a few times before in his very long life, a kind of rage that was dangerous. He knew that Izabella's son is a threat now even if no one else did. Well, his Shadowhunter did. And they'd be putting measures in place to keep their family safe in the morning.

He knew that Caroline was afraid too, but he would assure her that she and her daughter would be safe. He'd see to it.

The second was what Luke had told his love about his beautiful Belle and how she couldn't show herself to him. Hearing that The Angel wouldn't let her had hurt, but his precious Alexander had been right. Just because The Angel wouldn't let her show herself to him now didn't mean that she would never be able to. And having felt her presence for the first time did give him a little hope.

But he wasn't going to think about that any of that now. Right now, in this moment he would only think of the good that and happy things that had filled the day. When he closed his eyes, he hoped the beautiful and magical memories of the day would fill his dreams. Memories that he knew that he would never forget. They were too precious.

Listening to his favorite sound, his angel's soft little snores, he closed his eyes and fell easily into sleep. And in that sleep, he got what he wanted, the beautiful memories made that day danced in his dreams.

____________________

"Sweetheart." Magnus said.

Alec's head snapped up at the sound of his husband's voice, snapping him out of his thoughts and back into the here and now.

"Hmm?" He asked, looking up at the man that he loved so much. Looking him over he smiled. He looked perfect. He always looked so perfect. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Magnus asked as he took his seat at the table beside the man that he loved. Snapping his fingers, he reheated his coffee.

He was glad that he'd stayed with his Shadowhunter that morning. It had been wonderful waking up with him in his arms and having a nice breakfast with him. He'd been missing this. But his angel had been distracted all morning.

"Look so perfect." He said, speaking his thoughts. "You always look so perfect. Your hair. Your clothes. Your makeup."

"I wouldn't say perfect." Magnus said, smiling at his love's words. He seemed to love complementing him. Why, he didn't know. He didn't realize that he did the same thing. He was always complementing his husband. "I won't deny that I do look good, but it takes time and effort whereas you don't have to do a thing.

You have an entire wardrobe of designer clothes that you haven't touched yet you always manage to look as if you've just stepped off a designer fashion show runway. I swear, Alexander, you are the only person who can make a t-shirt and cargos look fashionable.

You don't have to so much as touch your hair or any kind of makeup and you always look perfect. How you manage that I don't know. Maybe one day I'll find out your secret."

"What can I say?" He asked, blushing a rosy pink. "I like simple things. T-shirts and cargos work fine for me.

And wearing Gucci while chasing down demons and racing subway trains wouldn't be very practical."

"Fair enough." Magnus said. He couldn't help but think that his love's rosy little blush was adorable and that it just added to his beauty. "But I will get you into those clothes eventually."

"You can try." He said, smirking. If his very fashionable sisters hadn't been able to manage it in eighteen years, he didn't think that his husband would manage it in anything less.

"And I will." Magnus said. "But I don't think that our appearances are what has you so distracted. Would you like to talk about it?"

"I've had a few things on my mind." He said, shrugging. "Mission plans. Construction plans for the safe place cottages. That sort of thing. But there is something that's been bothering me."

"What's that?" Magnus asked, setting his coffee aside.

"I feel like somethings going on with Jace and Si." He said.

"Like what, love?" Magnus asked. He'd been wondering how long it would take his angel to notice that something was going on with his brothers. What it was he didn't know, and he hadn't asked.

He hadn't asked because he didn't want his Shadowhunter to be under any more stress than he already was leading up to his heat. He didn't want whatever was going on to cause anymore family drama than what they'd already dealt with because of Gideon. And with the way his young warrior's brothers had been acting when they didn't think their brother was looking, he was certain that it would cause both.

He'd planned to wait until after his heat to find out what the problem is so that it could be dealt with then. He'd wanted to wait for his sweet angel's sake, but that may not be an option now.

"The past few weeks they've been acting differently." He said. "I know my brothers and I know when something's wrong and something's wrong.

Whenever they're around anymore they seem angry and hostile and that's not like them.

We've always been open with each other. We've never kept secrets from each other, so I don't know why they aren't telling me what's bothering them.

But I think Clary knows. I've felt anger through our bond more than once. The kind of anger I've only ever felt when she's truly mad and it takes a lot to get her this kind of mad. And I can't help but think that maybe it's them she's mad at."

"If she is angry with them, why hasn't she said anything?" Magnus asked. His love was right. It did take a lot to make Biscuit angry. And if she's angry and hasn't said anything it meant that she was intentionally keeping it from him.

"I don't know." He said, sighing. "She's never kept anything from me either. And I've noticed Iz upset a few times too. My family is keeping something from me. That's never happened before. I know that there's something going on with my brothers and I think that whatever it is, it's pissing off my girls.

As much as I wanted to ask when I first noticed it I didn't. Maybe I should have. It's just, I thought that maybe I should wait until after my heat because everyone keeps telling me not to stress or worry about anything, that I should relax and all that. But now, I don't think that I can wait until after my heat. Not knowing is starting to make me stress and worry which is exactly what I'm not supposed to be doing."

"You're right that you're not supposed to be stressing or worrying about anything." Magnus said. "Especially this close to your heat. But if not knowing what's going on is just going to stress you out, then maybe we should find out what's going on. It's better to find out now before your heat than to have you worrying about it up to and during it.

I just hope that whatever it is isn't something that's going to in some way hurt you. That it's not something that's going to hurt you more than just worrying about it will." He said. But he couldn't help but think that if whatever's going on is big enough for Biscuit to keep it from her parabatai that it had to be big. And bad. "Who are you going to ask?"

"I don't know." He said. "I've thought about asking Clary, but I'm not sure that she's the person to ask. If she does know what's going on she's not telling me what it is for a reason. And I think that I should find out that reason after I find out what's going on.

So, I guess that means asking Jace and Si. They're the ones that seem to have the problem so I guess that it should be them who tells me what it is. I just don't know when I'll be able to, considering that I'm on house arrest."

"I think you're right about asking one of your brothers." Magnus said. "As for being on house arrest, that's something that I want to talk to you about. I spoke with Catarina and Luke yesterday. Luke told me what you two had discussed. Yes, it is true that you're supposed to use your rest period to rest but when all that 'rest' is doing is causing distress it doesn't help one prepare for their heat.

So, now that we know that you're not going to be having any visions for a while they agree that it would be good for you to do some of the things that you love. Your solo time especially. And more of your archery. Maybe some light training with our family as long as you don't push yourself too hard which I really don't think they'll let you do.

I honestly think they'd just refuse to train with you anymore if they thought that was what was happening." He said, chuckling at the thought of the best Shadowhunter team to ever live telling their leader that he was done for the day. To his knowledge it had always been the other way around.

"You mean it?" He asked, a flutter of excitement in his belly. He couldn't deny that he'd been feeling smothered and growing agitated. And it had been getting him down not being able to do any of the things he enjoyed. Things that were also important to him.

"Yes, sweetheart." Magnus said. "I do. But I'd still like it if you slept in a bit and took some downtime in the afternoon. Maybe play with the angel babies a bit. I think they've been enjoying that."

"Yeah." He said. "And I have to be honest. I'm enjoying it too."

"I know. You're going to be a great father, Alexander." Magnus said, brushing a lock of soft raven hair out of his angel's crystal blue eyes. He couldn't help but gaze into those eyes. They always managed to captivate him.

"You think so?" He asked, hoping that when the time came that he would be a good dad. He wanted his children to grow up strong and happy.

"I know so." Magnus said, pressing a soft kiss to his Shadowhunter's lips. "As for today, before you start your day would you like to come with me to battle magic? You will be joining us soon after all. It will give you a chance to see some of what you'll be learning."

"I'd like that." He said. He'd been hoping that his warlock would take him to see battle magic because he's right, he would be a warlock himself soon and practicing battle magic. Well, a half warlock. And he did want to see some of what he'd be learning.

"It's a date then." Magnus said, smiling at the excitement sparkling in his angel's eyes.

____________________

Dot folded the soft white cotton pants that her Shadowhunter had worn to the parabatai ceremony the night before. He'd looked so incredibly sexy in them. And he'd looked like what he is wearing his Shadowhunter white. A Shadowhunter. He'd been uncomfortable at first and had felt out of place. But he'd relaxed after Robert had asked him to be his parabatai.

It hadn't surprised her hearing of all of the things that the former Institute Head had done for the Shadowhunters he'd spent twenty-two years watching over. It hadn't taken long after she'd first met him to see that he's a good man. And a good father. Only a father who loved his children dearly would portal back and forth every night that he was away to look in on them for a few hours as they slept. And it was because of that love that she hadn't minded being the one who portaled him. Magnus hadn't known of course. It was entirely off the books, but now knowing that he'd known Robert Lightwood his entire life she knew that he wouldn't have minded. He probably would have done the portaling himself when he could have.

It also hadn't surprised her hearing about her husband and some of the things he'd done while at the Institute either. She knew better than most what her Luke was capable of and what he'd done both in his lab and for his patients.

"I could have done that." Luke said, wrapping his arms around his beautiful wife. And he'd been about to. He'd been planning to do it before he got dressed for the day. He hadn't exactly had a chance the night before. Not when she'd been dead set on simply getting him out of it and it had ended up on the floor beside her clothes.

"I know. But I wanted to." She said, turning in his arms. "You looked great in it."

"So, you've said. I have something for you." He said. He'd wanted to give it to her the night before right after Magnus had given it to him, but there hadn't been time before the ceremony.

What was supposed to have been a symbolic parabatai ceremony somehow hadn't been simply symbolic. It had been in every way real. Angelic magic had formed as Alec and Clary had said their oath and bound them a second time, something else he once never would have believed possible. It had him hoping that The Angel would bless his parabatai ceremony too and that angelic magic would bind him and his best friend.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" She asked.

Letting her go he crossed to their dresser and opened the drawer he'd stashed her present in. He could feel his excitement in every nerve in his body. Pulling out the wooden ring box with a beautifully carved sun on the lid he traced it with his thumb.

She watched as her Shadowhunter went to get something he'd obviously stashed, wondering what his present could possibly be. Her heart stuttered when she saw the small wooden box.

"I couldn't find one I liked in Robert's catalogs." He said, opening the box to reveal the ring. The diamonds sparkled in both the setting and in the platinum band, little suns encompassing it. "Clary helped me design it. Do you like it?" He asked, holding it out to her. His heart was pounding in his chest. He'd wanted for so long to give her this, for her to have what he'd never been able to give her before and he wanted her to love it.

"Oh, Luke." She said softly, taking the small box from him. She'd thought that Cat's engagement ring was beautiful, but it was nothing compared to this. The stones were beautifully cut and the little suns, suns that he knew were for their Sunshine, sparkled in the band. It was perfect. "I love it. It's perfect. Now hurry up and put it on my finger."

"Your wish is my command." He said, taking the ring from its box and sliding it on her finger, the finger where a wedding ring long since should have rested. "I've wanted to give you this for so long."

"I know, baby." She said, pulling him into her arms. "But I had you and that was enough. I'm glad I have it now though." She said, pressing a kiss to his lips. "I love you, Lucas Greymark."

"I love you too, Dorthea Greymark." He said, pressing a kiss of his own to her lips.

He groaned at the knock on the door in the next room. He wasn't ready to let his wife go yet; he wasn't done kissing her yet.

"I'll get it!" Ziva called.

"Wait for daddy, baby." He said, pulling out of his wonderful warlock's arms. "It's probably Caroline here to pick up Madzie."

"Possibly." She said. She knew that there was a fifty/fifty chance. But he didn't.

__________________

"Come on, daddy. Hurry!" Ziva said, bouncing on her toes with excitement.

"I'm coming, baby." Luke said, rolling his eyes. Why she would be so excited about answering the door he couldn't fathom. He knew that she didn't want her friend to leave already. "Ok, peek out."

Ziva peeked through the curtain on the small window in the door, but she really hadn't needed to. She already had and knew who was on the other side. But daddy had rules that she had to follow and not opening the door without knowing who it is was one of them.

"Uncle Robert!" She said.

"Okay. You can open it." He said. He didn't know why his soon to be parabatai would be coming by so early, but if something was wrong there wouldn't have been a casual knock. Stepping back, he waited as his Sunshine unlocked and opened the door.

"Good morning, Ms. Ziva." Robert said, crouching down to meet the angel baby, catching her easily when she launched herself into his arms. He'd known that she had been waiting for him and that she'd be excited, he just hadn't expected this much excitement.

"Did you bring it?" She asked when she let her Uncle Robert go. She'd wanted to give him a big hug. She'd been waiting for what felt like forever for him to come with her surprise, and now he was finally here.

"I did." He said, picking up the white box he'd sat on the porch. He was glad that he had sat it down. Otherwise, he would have dropped it trying to catch her.

"Robert? Everything okay?" Luke asked.

"Everything's fine. Just making a delivery." He said, handing Ziva the box. She'd had a great idea and he'd been more than happy to help make it happen. In his mind it was something long overdue.

"Ziva?" Luke asked.

"It's for you, daddy." She said, holding out her box.

"For me? What is it?" He asked, feeling out the weight of the box. He hadn't asked for anything and didn't need anything.

"Open it and find out." Dot said, having joined them at the door. She'd been waiting for this delivery too. She hadn't known who would get here first, Robert with her baby's surprise or Caroline.

As for his surprise, if anyone could pull this off it would be his Sunshine. She just hoped that with the way things were going that this wouldn't cause problems. Well, more problems. But there'd been no turning back. She'd already told their baby that they could do this before she'd admitted to herself that he'd been right about what was going on with their army.

"Okay." He said, walking back into the house, his girls and best friend following him. "I take it you were all in on this?"

"Of course, we were. But it was Ziva's idea." Robert said. And she would be the only one able to get him on board.

Luke eyed his daughter as he sat the box on the coffee table and slid the lid off. While he hadn't had any idea what might be in it, he never would have guessed this.

"You're not just a doctor, daddy." Ziva said. "You're a Shadowhunter too. You shouldn't have to wear just doctor clothes all the time. You're a Shadowhunter doctor and should get to dress like one."

Luke didn't know what to say as he pulled out the requisite Shadowhunter Black shirt and cargos. Well, modified shirt and cargos. While cargos already had plenty of pockets the shirt had a few that normally wouldn't be there, and the cargos had a few more. He supposed for making carrying basic supplies around both convenient and easy.

"Will you wear it, daddy?" She asked. "It's made special to carry all your doctor stuff."

He ran his fingers over the cargos. 'Shadowhunter black.' He thought. He hadn't worn Shadowhunter black in going on twenty-five years. Not since he was a field Shadowhunter. And he wasn't sure that now was really a good time for him to be doing this. People already had an issue with him being a Shadowhunter when he wore his scrubs. In wearing this it would be like wearing a flashing neon sign that said 'Shadowhunter, Shadowhunter.'

"Pleeeease." She said, batting her lashes the way her cousin Clary had shown her. The way that always worked on their Alec.

"Ziva, baby..." He started.

"Pleeeease." She said again, batting her lashed again and adding a little pout. She wanted her daddy to dress like what he is. A Shadowhunter. He'd looked really good in his Shadowhunter white for the par'tai ceremony, and she knew that he would look really good in Shadowhunter black too.

Luke sighed. He could see how much his Sunshine wanted this. And there was no resisting her batted lashes and cute little pout. If this caused problems, it caused problems. But if he was being honest with himself, he really didn't think that things could much worse than they already were.

"Alright, Sunshine. I'll wear this today." He said, lifting her into his arms.

"Thank you, daddy." She said, laying her small head on his shoulder.

Robert smiled. The little Greymark had pulled it off. Dr. Luke Greymark, Shadowhunter, wouldn't be leaving the house in his usual scrubs today. He'd leave it dressed as what he is. Not just as a doctor, but as a Shadowhunter doctor.

____________________

Alec's eyes swept the sight before him for the sixth time trying to take it all in. He had known that his alpha's battle magic training area would be impressive, he just hadn't expected it to be this impressive. Row after row after row of what he could only describe as lanes with targets positioned at various distances stretched as far as the eye could see. But he knew how many there were. His warlock had seventy-four warlocks and he was certain by the number of lanes that each and every one of them had a lane of their own.

"What do you think, sweetheart?" Magnus asked, smiling at his Shadowhunter. He knew that his love was trying to take it all in. He'd suspected that he hadn't expected the battle magic range to be anywhere near as large as it is and from the looks of it, he'd been right.

"It's big." He said, stating the obvious. "A lot bigger than I expected. I take it each of your warlocks have their own lane?"

"You would be correct." Magnus said. "Everyone's lane is customized. Well, as customized as we can make them. Some of our warlocks are a bit more powerful and skilled than others and work with targets set out at greater distances. But we can only accommodate so much." He said, taking his precious Alexander's hand as they walked behind the rows of training lanes.

"Why? I mean, how? I know that older warlocks are more powerful. But is that all there is to it?" He asked. "Age?"

"No." Magnus said. "There are several factors that determine how powerful a warlock is. The first is what we'll call their base magic. The magic that they're born with. The stronger their sire is the stronger their base magic will be."

"You mean the stronger their..." He started, training off. He didn't want to say the word 'demon' because he didn't see his husband as in any way demonic.

"Demon, angel." Magnus said. "You can say the word. The stronger their demon sire is, the stronger the child will be. At least starting out. Every warlock knows that their part demon, that they're born of a demon who mated a mundane. You know that there are demons that can shift into human forms."

"Like Asmodeous." He said softly. They didn't speak of his warlock's father, the most powerful demon in Edom.

"Yes. Like Asmodeous." Magnus said, his belly clenching. His Shadowhunter had told him before that he didn't care who his father is, but for some reason the topic always unsettled him.

"You know that I don't care who your father his." He said. He'd seen his alpha tense and wanted to assure him that who his father is really doesn't matter to him. All that matters is him. It was him that he loved, not his father. "All I care about is you. I have the most amazing, wonderful, kind, loving, and compassionate husband. I can keep going if you'd like. There are a great many more endearments that I can list, but we'd be here for a while going through them all."

"That's not necessary, sweetheart." Magnus said, his belly unclenching. He knew that his precious Alexander had always accepted him for who he is and that he really didn't care where he came from.

But when your father is the most powerful demon in Edom, a prince of hell, sometimes it makes you a little afraid of how people will react even when you already know how they'll react and that you shouldn't be afraid. After a while the fear just becomes ingrained.

"You never talk about your mother." He said. He'd wondered about his alpha's mother more than once and wasn't sure if he hadn't spoken of her because she'd abandoned him like most mundane mothers did once they realized that their child was different, or if there was a different reason.

"You're right. I haven't. Why, I don't know. Unlike most I had a wonderful mother. Her name was Cara." Magnus said, smiling at the memory of the wonderful woman who'd given him life and had loved him unconditionally until her dying day.

"Will you tell me about her?" He asked. He wanted to know more about where his precious warlock came from. There was so much good in the man that he loved with all that he was, and he thought that his mother might be part of the reason why.

"I will." Magnus said, raising his angel's hand to his lips for a soft kiss. And he would. But now wasn't the time. "But now's not the time." He said, speaking his thoughts. "Our children, they'll know of more than their Lightwood lineage. They'll know of their Bane grandmother, a woman who would have loved to meet them."

"Okay." He said, squeezing his husband's hand. He was glad that their children would know about more than just the Lightwood history. He was glad that they would know about their papa's history too. About Cara.

"Anyway." Magnus said, wanting to get back to the topic at hand. "So, warlocks are born with their base magic and that magic grows over time. The older they get the more powerful they get. And the more they use their magic, the more they hone it and focus it on something, that plays a big part too. That's why some of the targets are further out than others.

Doing a few windblasts and fireballs is easy. But anything more than those few is when it can get difficult. Most warlocks, they don't usually use much of their magic in everyday life, so they really don't know just how powerful they are until they dig deep so to speak to really pull from what's buried inside. It doesn't take a lot of magic or much effort to rearrange furniture."

"So that's what you're working on here." He said, starting to understand more of what his alpha and mother were doing when they were overseeing and teaching. They were helping the other warlocks reach their full potential which is something that he's very familiar with. He'd done it countless times training other Shadowhunters.

"Yes." Magnus said. "Another big thing that we're working on is speed. Catarina and I can pull together fireballs and windblasts easily and quickly because one, Ragnor taught us how, and two, we've had to do it more than once in the past. Not just during the war, but to defend ourselves.

As far as battle goes it doesn't matter how many fireballs you can produce if you can't make them fast enough to use them. Someone wanting to kill you isn't going to wait while you form your fireball to use against them."

"It's the same with archery." He said. "If you can't pull your arrow, notch it, take your aim, and release it fast enough your enemy could be right up on you before you have the chance to take your shot.

At least I have my Shadowhunter skills to fight this war. I won't have any warlock skills."

"I wouldn't say that." Magnus said. "You're going to be quite powerful, Alexander. Your magic will come from a very powerful sire and you're a very quick study. And we both know that once you put your mind to something that you give it everything you have.

Obviously, I won't be able to teach you everything there is to know right now, but I'm certain that I'll be able to teach you a great deal. And once you master what I teach you, between what you can do as a Shadowhunter and what you'll be able to do as a warlock, well, I wouldn't want to piss you off.

The Clave truly will rue the day that they put a target on your back. And any other omegas for that matter. The Shadow World has known for a long time that you're a force not to be reckoned with. Downworlders and nephilims alike. But before this is said and done, I don't think there's a person in our world who will ever want to cross you."

"If you say so." He said, unbelieving. While he may be a good Shadowhunter, he didn't think he'd be a very good warlock.

"I say so." Magnus said. He knew what his young warrior was thinking. That while he was a good Shadowhunter, he didn't think he'd be a very good warlock. But that would change.

"What about Ziva-Diva?" He asked. "She doesn't have a traditional 'sire' so to speak. And unless I'm wrong, she's the only child born to a warlock."

"You're not wrong. Ziva is the first and only child ever born from a warlock. At least for now." He said, smiling as he squeezed his husband's hand, the man that he loved with all that he was who would make his most precious dream come true. The precious angel that would give him children. "Dorthea is a quite powerful warlock so little Ziva will be rather powerful too. Dorthea, she's more powerful than she realizes, but she's still young."

"Young?" He asked. "She's two hundred and fifty."

"Yes. She is." Magnus said. "And for a warlock that's young."

"Then what age isn't young for a warlock?" He asked, honestly curious.

"Mm, around six hundred or so." Magnus said. "Catarina is still young, but you wouldn't know it. Not with her power. And I don't just mean her base power. Her power has grown exceptionally over the years because she uses it so much. She's honed and focused it, mostly on healing. That's something else that Ragnor taught her. She's always wanted to be a healer and she truly is the best.

But back to Ziva-Diva. I have a feeling that once she trains up a bit and as she gets older, she'll be a force of her own. And if Luke and Dorthea choose to let you train her as you would a Shadowhunter, she'll grow into a strong and fearless young woman. Regardless of what she chooses to be, Shadowhunter or Warlock, she will be magnificent. I just hate that Luke won't be there to see it."

"About that." He said, stopping them from their walk. "I think I know what The Angel's gift is. The gift that Belle gave him.

I haven't said anything because I don't know for sure, and I won't know until I talk to Belle..." He said, tears welling in his eyes.

"Sweetheart." Magnus said. He knew by the tears that he saw in his Shadowhunter's crystal blue eyes that whatever he was about to say is serious. And the distress he heard had him worried. "You can tell me. You can tell me anything."

"Good morning, boys." Tessa said behind them. She hoped that she wasn't interrupting something important. She hadn't seen the tension in Alec's shoulders until she was already too close to turn back.

Alec's head whipped around at the sound of Tessa's voice.

"Tessa." He said, his stomach dropping. He wondered how much she might have heard. He could only hope that she hadn't overheard much if any of their unfinished conversation.

"Off house arrest?" She asked, a smile lighting up her beautiful face. "I was wondering how long it would take Magnus to give in and let you get a breath of fresh air."

"See." He said. "I'm not the only one who thought I'd been put on house arrest."

Tessa laughed, her accent sounding clearly in her voice. As The High Warlock of London, she'd been in London for a long time and had the accent to go with it.

"Showing him his new stomping grounds?" She asked Magnus.

"I am." Magnus said. "I thought he might like to see a few of the things that he'll be learning soon. And to get some fresh air." He said, ignoring her 'house arrest' comment. And his love's. He didn't like the thought that his Shadowhunter had felt that he was on lockdown.

"Wonderful." She said. "Have you shown him his lane?"

"My lane?" Alec asked.

"Yes." Magnus said. "Catarina and I have already set up your training lane. We wanted everything to be ready since you'll be joining us soon. Your lane is between ours."

"It's quite elaborate, Alec." She said. "I think you'll enjoy it. Come see."

"Elaborate?" He asked his warlock softly as they took each other's hands again and followed Tessa back the way they'd come.

"Yes, angel." Magnus said. "Elaborate. We thought that once you have a handle on your magic that you might like a few challenges in your training."

"I think you're thinking that I'll have a 'handle' on my magic much sooner than I will." He said, anxiety humming beneath his skin. He had no idea how much magic he would have much less how long it would take him to 'get a handle' on it.

"Don't be silly, Alec." Tessa said as they stopped behind a lane with multiple targets with tracks that ran further back than all of the others. Well, almost further than all of the others. The two on either side of his were just as elaborate and the tracks went back just as far. "You'll be brilliant. We all know it."

"No pressure then." He said, forcing a smile.

"Relax, love." She said. "We all know that it takes a bit of time to grasp control. But once you do, you'll pick things up quickly. Especially with Magnus and Catarina as your teachers."

"So, this is where you and mom train." He said, looking back at his warlock. The smile he saw told him that he believed every word Tessa had just said.

"Yes, sweetheart." Magnus said. "Catarina and I come in early to train. Battle magic doesn't actually start until nine whereas we start ours at 7:30.

Once we get your schedule worked out, we may have to adjust that. It'll take a bit of juggling since you'll be back to your normal combat training. But we'll work it out."

"Speaking of." Tessa said, biting her bottom lip. "Have you had a chance to discuss it?"

"Discuss what?" Alec asked. But he thought he already knew what his warlock's warlock had wanted them to discuss and had been waiting for it.

"Well..." Magnus started. "After our last meeting everyone has decided that in addition to their battle magic training that they would like to do a little combat training as well."

"I see." He said, trying to hide his smile. He'd been right. He'd thought that their warlocks might want to step into combat training after they'd gone through a few training maneuvers with the rest of their army.

"It's just..." Tessa started. "We don't want to rely on our magic alone if there's a close contact battle. We all have certain limits...we just want to be able to defend ourselves other ways if necessary."

"I can see that." He said, thankful that his husband had explained to him that it took a great deal of effort and concentration to produce fireballs and windblasts quickly. And that some could do it faster than others.

He didn't like the thought of anyone in the field being left vulnerable the way a warlock would should their magic not be enough to protect them. "We'll have to work out a schedule of course since you'll be dividing your time between what you're doing here and what you'll be doing with the rest of us.

But we don't see a problem with it. We have a few things in mind to start you out."

"Alexander?" Magnus asked. He wasn't aware of anything that they could have 'in mind.' They hadn't even discussed this yet.

"Yes, alpha?" He asked, all sweetness. "What? Did you really think that we didn't see this coming? We were just wondering when you'd say something. But it would seem that Tessa beat you to it."

"I see." Magnus said, rolling his eyes at his Shadowhunter. At his Shadowhunters. 'I should have known.' He thought. 'They think of everything.'

"We were also wondering..." Tessa started softly, unsure how to finish.

"If we can teach you to fight while bound with suppression cuffs?" Alec asked. He understood completely. As it stood when he'd left the Institute every team leader carried a pair of magic suppression cuffs. There just weren't enough for every Shadowhunter to carry them. But that would change.

With the Clave knowing that the warlocks were a threat against them now, he was certain that Imogen Herondale already had the Iron Sisters forging a pair for every Shadowhunter that they still controlled, which is almost all of them. And he wasn't willing to leave the warlocks vulnerable should they lose their magic. "There are a few things that we can teach you."

"Thank you." She said, thankful that he understood. But she'd thought he would. She was also grateful that he'd always been a kind and fair Shadowhunter who to her knowledge had never abused his authority in the Shadowhunter World the way others had. As far as she knew he'd only ever had to use his once years ago. One of their own had broken a vital accord that shouldn't have been broken. An accord that had cost a mundane family their lives.

"So." Sebastian said, wrapping his arms around Tessa's waist. "Do we get a show?"

"Sebastian, stop." She scolded. She knew what her mate and the other warlocks wanted to see, and she wasn't about to ask. But she couldn't deny that she wanted to see it too.

"A show?" Alec asked, arching a brow.

"Sebastian, what in Lilith's name are you talking about?" Magnus asked.

"You know, the two of you." Sebastian said, shrugging. "Who can hit the target first? The best Shadowhunter to ever live or the most powerful warlock."

"Come on, Magnus." Erik, a warlock behind them said.

Alec looked around at the cluster of warlocks surrounding them. He'd known that they were there. That they had heard his conversation with Tessa. He'd assumed that was why they'd gathered. And it might have been. But they were obviously wanting something more.

Magnus sighed.

"Oh, come on." Sebastian said. "It'll be fun."

"Yeah." Alec said, his smile lighting up his eyes. He wanted to play. He hadn't played in what felt like forever. "It'll be fun."

Magnus didn't miss the sparkle of excitement in his precious Alexander's eyes. He hadn't gotten to have any fun with his bow in a while and he if he was being totally honest with himself it did sound like fun.

"Fine." He said. Snapping his fingers, he had his Shadowhunter's bow and quiver in his hands. "But those targets are going to have to go a little further back."

Looking at the arrows in his quiver Alec smiled. He knew exactly which one he wanted and pulled it out as the targets in the side by side lanes moved back when Tessa waved her hand.

"A bit further please." He said.

Magnus rolled his eyes when he saw the arrow that his love had chosen. He should have known.

"Far enough?" Tessa asked, wondering why their leaders wanted their targets so far back on their tracks.

"If you step back." Alec said, waiting while the warlocks around them stepped back a few feet.

"A little further if you please." Magnus said, moving to his lane beside his husband's for the first time. 'This will be interesting.' He thought. This will be the first time that he's gone up against his young warrior outside their day training at The Manor. But that had been physical combat. And while he'd held his own, his Shadowhunter had beaten him. But this was different. This would be fire against fire.

Alec and Magnus waited as the crowd of warlocks behind them stepped a few feet further back.

"Ready?" Alec asked.

Snapping his fingers Magnus had a green fireball in his hand.

"When you are." He said.

"Tessa. A three count please." Alec said, raising his bow and notching his chosen arrow.

"Alright, boys. On three." Tessa said, excitement humming beneath her skin. "Three."

Alec sighted his target, and the red bullseye in the center.

"Two." She said as Magnus took his stance and sighted his target.

"One!" She shouted.

Magnus and Alec both took a deep breath as Tessa counted down. On one they both let their weapons loose.

Alec's arrow left his bow and flew towards his target. He smiled and his husband sighed when it hit the bullseye and erupted into flames a second before his warlock's fireball hit his.

"Bravo." Sebastian called, clapping.

The crowd of warlocks stood speechless behind their leaders. They hadn't been shocked when both targets were hit, a second's difference aside. But they hadn't expected Alec's arrow to erupt in flames or for the radius of the blast. They understood then why they'd been asked to step back.

"What was that?" Erik asked, finally gaining enough of his wits to speak. He'd never seen anything like what had just happened before his eyes.

"It had to be Isabelle's ignition rune, huh?" Magnus asked, smiling as he wrapped his arms around his love's waist and pulled him close.

"Mm-hmm." Alec said. "What can I say? Fire with fire. I won by the way."

"Barely." He said. "But I can't wait for the day that it's a fireball and not an arrow."

"That day will come soon enough, Magnus." Cat said. She'd arrived in time to see the 'show'. She didn't think it would take her son very long to learn to control and use his magic. Or to beat her oldest and dearest friend in what they'd just done.

Would her son be as powerful as his sire? No. Not for some time anyway. But with his skills as a Shadowhunter, the best Shadowhunter, she thought that battle magic would become second nature to him in no time. 'Magnificent' is Alexander Lightwood's middle name.

"I suspect that you're right about that, Catarina." Magnus said.

"I guess I should head out for my solo training and let you get to work." Alec said, pressing a kiss to his husband's lips.

"Okay." He said, pressing a kiss of his own to his angel's lips. He hoped that he wouldn't overdo it. He was so very close to his heat and didn't need strain himself. But he couldn't ask him not to go. Not when he needed this so much. "I'll see you in a few hours for lunch."

"It's a date." Alec said, pressing one last kiss to his husband's lips before pulling out of his arms.

Dot chuckled watching their leaders. The leader of the downworld and their leader in this war. She'd enjoyed the show just as much as everyone else. But knowing so much of what they could do, not just in battle but of who they are, she couldn't help but think that they would make the best pair to watch over the new Shadow World they were going to build and watch over it for eternity. And she couldn't wait to watch.

____________________

Luke stepped out of his portal in Village Square and set his Sunshine on her feet. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt more uncomfortable. This is the first time he'd worn Shadowhunter black in more than twenty years, and he was already missing his scrubs.

He didn't have to look to see that the people in the village were staring at him, he could feel their eyes on him. This is the first time that any of them had seen him dressed as what he is, and what he is is what they had a problem with.

But looking down at his baby girl he smiled at her happy smile. She'd really wanted him to dress the part of a Shadowhunter and he'd indulged her. This had made her happy, and that happiness outweighed his discomfort. So, he would endure it for her.

Ziva looked up at her daddy when he sat her on her feet and smiled. She was happy. She didn't think he was happy which she didn't understand, but she was. And she felt better when he smiled.

"Don't forget your doctor stuff, daddy." She said, pulling his stethoscope from around her neck and his penlight from her pocket. She had lots of pockets in the pants her mommy had given her just like he did.

Luke squatted down so his Sunshine could wrap his stethoscope around his neck. She'd looked so cute with it around hers and was tempted to let her keep it, it's not like he needed it anymore, but she didn't know that. Maybe he could get her an inexpensive one of her own since he was going to be giving her 'nurse lessons'.

"Thank you, baby." He said, waiting while she tucked his penlight in his shirt pocket, one of the many pockets in his new attire. While he couldn't get her a light and stethoscope until he spoke with his wife later, he'd make sure that he stuffed her pockets with her nurse supplies. She had more than enough of them in her cute little pants and he had plenty of gauze rolls, cotton swabs, and other small things that he could give her. And Madzie of course. She wouldn't be left out.

"Now go straight to Ms. Izabella's." He said. Caroline wanted to keep Madzie close after the night before, so the girls would be playing there until she walked them over to the clinic later.

She was worried about Gideon. They all were. They didn't know if he was a threat to his daughter, but until they knew more, she wasn't to be out of sight of someone her mother felt comfortable with her being with. Neither of the girls were.

Caroline had finally admitted to him when she'd come to pick up Madzie that Gideon didn't like him any more than he did Alec and his team, but he'd already known that. Her husband had never bothered to hide his hostility towards him and if there was any chance at all that his dislike for him could now be directed towards his daughter, he would take every possible precaution.

"'Kay." She said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "See you later, daddy." She said before she turned and took off at a run towards Izabella's cute little cottage. Climbing to his feet he waited and watched until Caroline closed the door behind her.

With a sigh and a heavy heart, he turned towards his clinic for another very long day.

Robert frowned as he watched the clinic door close behind Luke. He didn't like what he saw. While the interchange with little Ziva had been cute, he'd never seen his best friend look so defeated. And looking around Village Square he thought he knew why. While the people in the square had gone back to what they'd been doing when Luke and his Sunshine had come out of their portal, he'd seen the looks aimed Luke's way. He'd seen the stares and watched them as they'd whispered amongst themselves. And it worried him.

He'd come to check on Caroline. The night before had been hard on her and sweet pea, and he wanted to do whatever he could for them. But from the looks of it, Luke was having a hard time too. Well, a harder time than he and his Catarina had realized. Crossing Village Square he took the steps up to his mother's front door and knocked. He would do what he could for his sister-in-law and niece before checking on his friend. From the looks of it that's what Luke needed. His friend.

____________________

It had taken Alec what felt like forever to find a place to solo train. Haven was growing more crowded by the day. Between the new construction of the safe place cottages and housing for what would hopefully be Haven's soon to be new residents, the rescued omegas and their families, there wasn't very many open spaces left.

What used to be empty rolling fields as far as the eye could see were now sites for new homes which he was glad for. He was glad that they were building new homes for those who would be leaving their old lives behind and starting over.

Would leaving the Shadowhunter World be a big adjustment for the Shadowhunters that chose to join them in this war to end the Clave, or more accurately to end a war that has waged too long against what could only be called evil? Yes. But if he was being totally honest leaving the Shadowhunter World would be more than an adjustment. For those who joined them their entire lives would change. Their lives would be turned upside down and for many it would be done in the blink of an eye.

He couldn't help but think about the new omegas that would hopefully be joining them as he went through his warmup moves. The next omega to present would be another male omega. Samuel Redwine. How he'd been so naïve in believing that he was the only gay Shadowhunter he would never understand. But he supposed that it would be easy enough seeing as the other gay Shadowhunters weren't exactly advertising their sexuality. It was just as much a guarded secret for them as it had been for him.

He knew that presenting as an omega would be more than a little shocking for Sam, and his mate assuming that they'd already found each other. It wasn't known in the Shadowhunter World that the gay Shadowhunters would all present as omegas yet.

The thought as to whether Sam had found his mate yet or not had him wondering about the partners of the gay omegas as he finished his warmup and moved into his first smooth move. It had been a while since he'd last solo trained, so he started with moves that he knew and had honed throughout the years. Moves that he knew like the back of his hand and were almost nostalgic.

He wondered how many of the gay omegas' partners were their actual mates and how many of them were for now what he could only call their partner. Yes, some Shadowhunters like his little brother and parabatai, like his baby sister and best friend had found their mates early. But how many of the gay Shadowhunters out there were just in a relationship?

He'd known plenty of Shadowhunters that had been in dating type relationships. Relationships that had ended in unpleasant breakups. Weeping girls, angry and brooding guys. He'd seen plenty of those over the years.

Adding new spins, twists, and flips to his nostalgic moves he thought of how much more complicated it had to be for gay couples. He thought that if a gay Shadowhunter was to trust the secret of his sexuality to another gay Shadowhunter that the relationship had to be a serious one. He thought that whoever it was these Shadowhunters were involved with must be their mates, or at least they must truly believe that they're mates. He thought that with something as big as one's sexuality in a world where being gay is for the most part unacceptable that it would take complete and utter trust on both sides. That it would take complete and unyielding faith in each other.

But who Sam's mate/partner might be isn't their biggest concern. Getting him out of the Institute is. He thought of what he knew of The New York Institute as he transitioned into one of the many new moves that he'd been thinking on over the past few weeks. He'd spent the first eighteen years of his life living at the Institute and like his nostalgic moves he knew it like the back of his hand too.

It was easy with his eidetic memory to go through the layout of the Institute in his head. He knew where everything was. He knew every room, closet, and hidey hole that could be found. He knew where the Institute's strongest places were as they were the most populated and where it was the most vulnerable.

While they could easily get into the Institute to attempt Sam's rescue it would be considerably more dangerous than attempting a rescue at an outside location. When he'd seen Sam in his vision he'd been in the OP's center and that was one of the worst places for him to be should they have to go in. But they would do what they had to do. They had all made a vow. No omega would be left behind.

As his body moved fluidly into his next new move, a move that he'd thought through enough times while he'd been sick, recovering from a vision, or on house arrest that it didn't require any thought now his mind shifted way from thoughts of Sam Redwine and onto recent events.

His parabatai ceremony with his Clare-bear had been in every way magical. Not so much because of the unexpected angelic magic that had bound them for a second time which was in every way magical, but because of the night itself. While their first parabatai ceremony had been wonderful and he would never forget a second of it, it had been very different.

Their first ceremony, while it had been elaborate, it had been far less elaborate and much smaller. While he loved what his warlock had put together and thought that it had all been beautiful, there were plenty of other things that had made it so much better than the ceremony of four years ago.

Four years ago, there had been some very important and prominent people in attendance that he personally could have done without, but they tended to be there when the child of an Institute Head took the sacred oath. Jia and his father had both been there, and Luke, which had been nice but this time as he and Clary took their oath, they had been surrounded by only people were in some way special to them.

It hadn't just been his father this time, the woman who was his real mother had been there not just to witness it but to take part. His grandmother, a woman he hadn't known existed until just a couple of months ago and his favorite little Lightwood had been there making it all the more special. And Luke hadn't stood alone this time. He'd stood beside his wife and daughter.

But the most wonderful person outside of the precious pixie of a woman who he'd bound himself to had been his husband, the man he loved with all that he is. The man who would be the father of their future children. It was all of that that made the night perfect.

But there had been one dark cloud looming in the form of his uncle. He'd already given up on his uncle as had the rest of his family, but now it would seem that Gideon's wife had given up on him as well. And because of that she was now estranged from her husband and sweet pea had been pulled away from her father. Well, she had been, and she hadn't been.

His favorite little Lightwood has been drifting further and further away from the man who was once her hero for weeks and during that time she'd been moving closer and closer to him. He'd been afraid of this for some time. He hadn't wanted the angel baby to lose her father the way she has, but because of Gideon's choices and actions she has.

And while he knew this would be hard on her, he would do whatever was necessary to help her. And protect her. Gideon Lightwood's a threat. He knew it with every fiber of his being, and he wasn't about to let his uncle hurt his little girl. Or anyone else for that matter.

Moving into his next smooth move he thought of the events of the day. He'd learned a great deal that morning about warlocks and their magic. And about what his alpha and mother were doing every day. They were teaching younger warlocks how to reach deep inside to pull power out that they don't know that they have. Power that they'll need to form more fireballs and do more windblasts than they thought that they already could. And how to do it faster.

He couldn't help but think that if Dot was considered young at two hundred and fifty that when his time came that he would be a baby. His alpha had told him that he thought that he would be powerful. He would have a powerful 'sire' and that would be where he got his 'base magic'. But he wasn't sure that he believed him. Sure, his husband's powerful. He's the most powerful warlock to ever live. But he wasn't sure that it would matter how powerful his warlock is.

He wasn't being born a warlock. He wouldn't be inheriting his base magic the way all other warlocks did. He was being claimed which was something totally new so there really was no telling how much base magic he would gain when the time came.

Being claimed. That was his next thought as he added a graceful flip to the move he'd just completed. His alpha had been trying to assure him that everything would be alright. And his mother had been trying to assure him that it would be alright too. But in all honestly, no one knew for certain that it would be. His claiming would be the first warlock/nephilim claiming in history. And if all went well it wouldn't just be the first warlock/nephilim claiming but the first successful warlock/mortal claiming too.

Warlocks had worked for centuries to find out how a warlock could claim a mortal mate. There had been several attempts and they had all failed. But somewhere along the way they'd discovered that an omega could be claimed during their heat. How that discovery had been made they didn't know.

There are several references and brief mentions of it in the records kept within The Spiral Labyrinth, but the original research records are nowhere to be found. So, all they could really do is hope that what they were doing based on the records that they did have is right.

Pulling a blade from his holster he let it fly on his next new move as he thought of what else he'd learned that morning. The warlocks wanted to be trained in combat. While he'd suspected as much after their last meeting, and he'd discussed it with his family who'd agreed that it was a good idea, they had no idea how they would make it happen. They would have to find a way for the warlocks to juggle both battle magic and combat training

As it stood there were two lessons of each combat aspect a day already so how would they be able to work seventy-four warlocks into those lessons? Lessons that were advancing more and more by the day. Or would they have to add a whole new training session for the warlocks that covered all five of the combat training aspects from the beginning. And if they did, who would teach it? They were already stretched so thin.

As of yet they hadn't begun teaching their army how to fight with their hands bound which is something that they would have to put a lot of focus on for the warlocks. For the most part the warlocks would be using their magic to fight, but they would need to know the most effective moves that they could use to free themselves from a Shadowhunter that managed to get them into magic suppression cuffs and how to fight them off.

He flipped smoothly as his next blade flew before he started again, as he moved through all of his new moves, mixing them in with older ones as he thought of something that had been bothering him. His brothers. Something was going on with them and he was determined to find out what.

With each flip and spin he tried to think of what it could be, what it was that could be causing the anger and hostility he felt every time he was around them. But that isn't all about whatever this situation is that has been troubling him. In the past short of his sexuality, they had never kept secrets. They had always talked to each other. It didn't matter what it was about. It could be something good, bad, or something downright ugly. So, he couldn't help but wonder what had changed.

He was afraid that one of the things that he'd always held so hear, the bond that he shared with his family was changing. He hoped that it wasn't. He'd been praying that it wasn't. But what if it was? And there was more that had been eating at him.

Picking up more speed he thought of his parabatai. His sweet Clare-bear. Yes, they had retaken the parabatai oath the night before, but no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many times she tried to reassure him that it was alright, guilt for everything she'd been going through was still eating him up inside.

Over the past three months she'd been through so much because of their bond and it pained him. She had suffered at what felt like every turn and he hated it. And because of that at times he hated the visions that The Angel sent him.

Yes, his visions were important. Yes, they would save at least some lives. But what about the effects they were having on the lives of the ones that he loved. His parabatai wasn't the only one who had been suffering. His alpha had been suffering too.

No one had told him of how his visions were affecting his precious warlock. No one had to. He could see it. His visions, or more accurately the effect they were having on him was tearing his husband apart. More than once his alpha had watched him almost die and had felt the fear of losing the one he loves most. The one he'd waited so long for and was fated to spend eternity with. And more than once, he'd been pained watching him suffer through the aftereffects of his visions and his recoveries. Loving his warlock as much as he did, he couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like. He knew that if he was in his place, he wouldn't be able to stand it.

The visions that The Angel sent him were hard. Not just on him, but on his family too. All of them. His husband. His mother and father. His parabatai and little sister. His little brother and best friend. And on sweet pea.

And if he was being totally honest with himself, he had to admit that he wasn't sure how much more he could take. The physical pain and misery that came with his visions was one thing. That he was doing his best to handle. But he wasn't sure how much more he could take of watching his family suffer.

Then there was his biggest fear. He finally came to a stop as he thought about it. What if he had a vision while he was pregnant? What would it to his babies? Would they survive it? Would his husband survive it if they didn't? Would he? Would he be able to keep doing what The Angel wanted him to do, what he was fated to do if it cost him his children?

Just because he'd seen himself pregnant in that worst vision, just because he'd seen his beautiful babies in his dreams, that didn't mean that those babies were from his first pregnancy. How many babies would he lose before they got that far into this war?

But those were the questions that he had to force to the back of the deepest recesses of his mind. Those were the questions that he couldn't think about. That he wouldn't think about because the answers to those questions could change everything. He thought that the wrong answers to those questions would change everything.

Surveying the area around him he saw that he'd been right. He'd emptied all of his holsters going through his moves both the new and the not so new. It would take a little time retrieving them all from their resting places. They were all buried deep in the heart of the trees that he'd aimed for, but some of those trees weren't exactly close. He would have to take a walk to retrieve them.

Magnus had been watching his Shadowhunter for the past three hours. When he hadn't made it back to the village by lunchtime, he'd told himself that he was just running a little late. But when he hadn't been back by the time everyone set off for their afternoon lessons he'd started to worry.

A half hour later he hadn't been able to stand not knowing if he was okay anymore. He knew that there were only a handful of places left in Haven that would be big enough for him to do what he'd so desperately needed to do so one by one he'd portaled to them until he'd found his love.

After watching him for just a few minutes he'd seen why he'd been gone for so long. He was too engrossed in what he was doing to notice how much time had passed. He knew that what had been hours for him would seem like minutes to his young love. But once he knew that he was safe, he'd settled in to watch beauty in motion.

With each new move, with each new spin and flip he remembered another reason why his Shadowhunter is the best Shadowhunter. No one could create moves the way his angel did. And there were only a handful of people who would be able to execute those moves. Their family. And he knew that their family was going to enjoy learning them. Just as he knew that anyone or anything on the receiving end of those moves were going to regret coming at them immensely.

He'd wondered if his husband knew that he was watching and he discovered that he in fact had known when he turned to face him after he finally stopped and gave him a cute little pout. A pout that asked a question. 'Wanna help me gather my blades?'

He supposed that he probably should seeing as there were so many, and they'd all gone in different directions and various distances. If he left his Shadowhunter to gather them all alone it would be a good while before they finally made it home. Walking down the hill he'd been sitting on he made a mental note to remind his angel how 'cute' he'd been and how 'cute' his little 'help me' pout was.

___________________

Alec laughed at his husband's silly joke as they rounded the last curve into Village Square. It had been a nice albeit a long walk back. He'd somehow managed to talk his warlock into making the walk back instead of portaling. He hadn't been the least bit tired after his solo training. He'd actually been the opposite. He'd been hyped up. And he felt better than he had in a long time which had apparently been obvious. Seeing as he hadn't seemed to have overdone it, his husband had agreed to the walk. And it had been a nice one. It wasn't often that they got to just walk and talk and hold hands. It had been wonderful, so much so that he was a bit sad to see it come to an end. But he supposed that they'd have plenty of time for long walks and handholding in the future, their very long futures together.

"There you are." Clary said, smiling as she climbed up from her perch on her parabatai's favorite porch swing. "We were starting to worry that you two had gotten lost."

"I guess in a way we had." Magnus said as the climbed the short flight of stairs outside their cozy little house. "You know Alexander. He always seems to get lost when creating new moves."

"New moves, huh?" She asked, her eyes lighting up. She knew that was what her parabatai had been doing. Thinking and creating new moves. She knew that his solo time was his thinking time. And while he might not always be thinking of the most relaxing and peaceful things, it was always a relaxing and peaceful time for him. And he definitely needed a little peace. "So, when do we get to see these new moves?"

"Soon enough, I suppose." Alec said, smirking at his Clare-bear. He knew that she'd been waiting for them to get back and that she was chomping at the bit to learn his new moves. And he had plenty of them for her.

But more than that, she just wanted to see him. To see him relaxed and at peace. And to hold him in her arms. He'd felt that need through their bond.

"Well, I can wait." She said, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "You look better." She said softly, gently cupping his cheek. "You feel better."

"Yeah. I do." He said just as softly as he pulled her into his arms. As wonderful and magical as the night before had been, as much as he'd loved every minute of it, he loved holding her more. "So, how was your day?" He asked, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before letting her go.

"Not as peaceful as yours." She said. "But good. I heard that you stirred things up at the battle magic range this morning. From what I hear, your new stomping grounds."

"Oh, he certainly did. And the battle magic range will be his new stomping grounds soon enough." Magnus said. His warlocks had talked nonstop about his Shadowhunter after he'd left. They had all known that he was The Archer and was excellent with a bow. They had seen it firsthand during the war. And they had seen him make a long distance shot after their family had first arrived in Haven. But they had never seen what his angel could do up close and personal. While they had all known that he wouldn't miss his shot and that it would hit dead center they hadn't been expecting his target to go up in flames on impact.

He'd had to explain that it was one of the custom arrows that Isabelle had crafted for him to take out demons, she is The Weapons Master after all. But even knowing that she was the best at forging weapons they'd still been stunned by its power. And that it was angelic fire that had burned the target to ashes.

There had been a lot of talk after the war. They'd all come to learn that it was his precious Alexander that had fired the shot that had gone through Valentine Morgenstern's heart in the dark from a distance while wounded.

They had also come to learn that an archer hitting a target the way his love does isn't as easy as it looks. It's more than just notching an arrow and letting it fly. In a split second before the arrow is released the archer has to calculate windspeed, wind direction, height at which to hold the bow, and at what angle the shot should be made from. And being able to do all that the way his Shadowhunter does is something that only the best archer, the best Shadowhunter to ever live could do.

"Yeah." Alec sighed. While he was looking forward to working with any magic he might have after his claiming, he didn't want to give up what he loved to do to do it.

He's always loved archery. It was the weapon that he'd been drawn to as a child and because of that Hodge had focused his childhood training on that during his early years. "But I don't want to give up archery."

"And you won't have to." He said. "Your archery will always come first, angel. It's a part of you. We'll have all the time in the world for you to work on your magic."

"That will be fun to watch." Clary said. And she was looking forward to seeing it. She could already see him forming fireballs and doing windblasts in her mind's eye. And doing so many other things with a snap of his fingers.

But she had been feeling through their bond that he had been worried about having to give up his archery to focus on the magic he would soon have, and he shouldn't. This is the first time that he's been this kind of relaxed in a long time and that didn't need to change. Not this close to his heat.

But she also knew that he was worrying about something else. She just hoped that she could keep the truth from him just a little while longer. While it was killing her having to do it, she'd never kept anything from him before, it had to be done for his own sake. "As for these new moves do you think maybe we can see a few at family training tonight? Or are you back on house arrest?"

"For Lilith's sake." Magnus huffed. "It's not house arrest."

"Okay. Okay." She said, her hands held up in surrender. "It's not house arrest. But seriously. Family training?" She asked, pouting at her brother's warlock. "Pretty please."

"What time?" He asked, sighing. He'd wanted his husband to rest for a bit before he did anything else that day. He'd been gone much longer than expected, but he knew that his love wanted this. That he needed it. And he'd told him just that morning that he thought it would be good for him to have it. And it wasn't so much about the training. It's about spending time with his team.

"Six." She said, squealing. She was going to get to train with her parabatai and couldn't be happier. She'd been missing him so much. Training just hadn't been the same without him. The new moves were just a bonus.

Alec laughed at her. He could not only feel her happiness and excitement he could see it. And she was excited.

"Hey, Si!" He called as his best friend rounded the corner of the house. "Team training at six?"

"Can't." Simon snapped. "Busy." He spat as he stalked past the house towards Village Square. He'd heard about his brother's 'good day'. He'd heard every word they'd said. He'd already known that he was off half the day doing something fun and had already been angry, but now he was livid.

"Si?" He asked, a ball of lead settling solidly in his belly. "What's wrong?" He asked, now certain that there was a problem. If there had been any doubt before, which there really hadn't been, there certainly wasn't any now. Something was definitely going on with his brothers. The hostility and animosity coming off his best friend turned brother was coming off him in near overpowering waves. "Let's go in and talk."

"Can't. Not allowed to." Simon said without a backwards glance.

Alec watched as he stalked away without so much as a backwards glance. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"Clary." He said, turning to his parabatai. "What's going on? I know you know."

Clary swallowed hard. There was no keeping things at bay any longer. Not now. Not after that little interchange. And she dreaded what was coming next, what she'd have to tell him. What she and Izzy had been trying to keep from him. Now, because they couldn't hide it anymore, she was going to break his heart.

"I think we need to go inside." She said softly.

____________________

Robert was livid. He couldn't stop pacing. There was no standing still. His oldest son's heart was broken. And his other two sons, he just couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

He'd been stunned by their selfishness. Their nerve. They were angry because they were having to cover their leader's 'share' of the load in training and forming their army and they were tired of doing their brother's part.

There were some things that they had known. They had known what had been going on over the past three months. They had known that he was going through hell, spending most of his time in a living nightmare of pain and fear.

They had known that he'd almost died more than once, that he'd almost stopped breathing a dozen times and actually had a dozen more.

They had known that he'd almost bled to death on his honeymoon then jumped straight into creating emergency mission plans before going on a rush mission to extract Luke and Aline from New York. They had known that he'd then turned around and gone on another mission after finalizing more plans just a few days later to save Lydia. And he'd done it all with no recovery time.

They had known that on that same day that he'd ended up in the clinic in critical condition when it had all finally come crashing down on him after two back to back visions, one that had saved a woman's life by mere seconds.

And they had known that after being slammed with multiple visions, visions that would save ten lives, that he'd been on a ventilator for three days. But they were angry that they were having to do his 'share', that they had to cover his part training and they were tired.

Now, now they knew all of what they should have known a long time ago. What he'd only come to learn a few weeks ago and hated himself for. He hated himself for not seeing it. Now they knew that for more than two years their big brother had been covering their 'share', that he'd been doing their part.

Now they knew that their leader had taken it upon himself to do their share so that they had time to live. He'd wanted his sisters to have time to go shopping and for his brothers to play video games. He'd wanted them all to have time with their mates. He hadn't wanted them to be ships passing in the night the way they would have been had he done things differently.

Sure, they'd known that he was doing a lot, and a lot for them, but they'd had no idea that all that he was doing hadn't been his to do.

Now they knew that all of the training classes that he had been teaching that they had never volunteered to help with weren't all his to teach. Now they knew that those classes were supposed to have been divided between five people, not be done by one.

Now they knew that it hadn't been his job to spend hours working late into the night every night after patrols filling out field and incident reports by himself. Sure, as their leader it had been his job to fill out any injury reports, but not the nightly field and incident reports.

And now they knew the secret that had shattered his heart. Now they all knew the secret that his son and his husband had been keeping. They knew that he hadn't almost died during his first heat, they knew that he had died. He'd died because his body couldn't handle the strain after having done so much for so long, so much for everyone else.

Setting the past aside they also now knew that he had been doing his share. More than. They'd been pissed off because they'd thought that he was spending all of his time playing with the angel babies and napping instead of teaching lessons. But that wasn't true.

They'd know for weeks that he'd been designing new weapons for their army. That he'd been designing construction plans for new housing and safe place cottages. And since his last brush with death, he'd also been making extraction plans with backup plans for the ten soon to be omegas, plans that were vital in saving them. He had been doing anything and everything that could be done on paper. But that hadn't been enough for them.

They hadn't known that to make as much progress as he had that he'd been sneaking out of bed in the middle of the night to work on his plans because he knew that no one would let him work on them for more than a few hours during the day. They wouldn't let him because he was supposed to be recovering from his brush with death and resting in preparation for his heat.

And his girls, he was angry with them too. But not for the same reasons that he was angry with his boys. He was angry with them for keeping this a secret. For keeping it from him. For not telling their father.

But a part of him understood. They'd wanted to protect their big brother from the pain that he was feeling now. They'd wanted to protect him for as long as they could. They'd wanted to keep this from him until after his heat because he was already going through so much and didn't need to go through anymore.

"Robert." Cat said as Luke closed the bedroom door behind them. She was angry with her children. So very angry. Just as angry as their father was. But she had to stay focused on her sweet boy.

Robert whipped around at the sound of his Catarina's voice.

"He's resting." She said before he could ask. "He wouldn't take the sedative, but he's resting. He knows that sleeping won't make this go away. He knows that this would still be here when he woke up."

"So, what do we do?" He asked, desperate to help his little trooper in some way.

"Magnus is going to take him today." She said.

"Take him?" Izzy asked, stopping her own pacing. "Take him where?"

"I'm going to go make sure everything's ready." She said, ignoring her daughter. "They should have everything they'll need but I want to be sure. It won't take long. Luke's going to finish up plan B's final arrangements. We want to make sure everything's ready on our end."

"What's plan B?" Izzy asked. "Dad!" She called, almost shouted when no one answered her. "What's plan B?"

"It's bad, isn't it? Really bad." Clary said softly. There were times, times like this, when she hated the intimacy rune she shared with her parabatai. She hated it because she couldn't feel him, and if she couldn't feel him, she didn't know if he was okay. But she really didn't need the rune to know if he's okay. She'd known since she'd seen the pain in his eyes as she'd finally told him the truth that he wasn't and wouldn't be for a while.

"Yes, Clarissa. It's bad." Robert said, finally acknowledging his children.

He'd been afraid that something else bad might happen. With the way things had been going he'd been afraid that they would inevitably find themselves in this situation. And all he could do now is hope and pray that it doesn't come down to plan B. Even with as much help as they could give their precious boy, they just weren't sure that it would be enough.

"Dad. Talk to us." Izzy said. She needed to know. She needed to know what was going on with her Rockstar is. She knew that it was bad, but she didn't know how bad, and she was terrified.

"What would you like him to say?" Cat snapped. "We've been telling you for weeks that this is his rest period, that he's supposed to be resting and not stressing especially while recovering from his visions. This was the last thing that he needed." She said.

She understood now why it had taken so much to pull the wonderful young man that had become her son back from the brink of death after his first heat. While she knew that omega heats are both strenuous and draining and that his hadn't started under the best of circumstances, circumstances that hadn't allowed for any preparation, she hadn't understood why things had been so bad when she'd reached him.

She hadn't understood why he'd been in organ failure or how he'd gotten to that point in the first place. But he had been so she'd done everything that she could to save him. And it had taken a lot to save him. She honestly hadn't been sure at the time that what she could give him would be enough, but she thanked his Angel every day that it had been enough.

And now she understood something else. Now she understood why he had such a hard time putting his own needs first. Putting others first is all he knew. And it wasn't just because of the past two years. It went further back than that.

Weeks ago, he stood before his army and had told them that he'd done more, learned more, trained more, and fought harder to give his team their best chance to live. And they were going to. But so was he. He would get to live too. She'd see to that.

Simon couldn't lift his eyes from the floor. This was his doing and he knew it. He'd known of everything that his best friend had done in the past, of all of the things that they'd left him to do alone. He just hadn't known that it hadn't been all of his to do. As if that should have mattered. Whether it was his to do or not was of no consequence. They should have helped him then and they all knew it. Well, there was a consequence. A consequence that they hadn't known about until now. And that consequence was that for a few minutes, he'd been gone. He'd died, and it was on them.

And now, in the present he knew what his best friend had been going through. The pain, the fear, and the strain. Every kind of strain there is, physical, mental, and emotional. He'd known because he'd seen it every day. He'd watched helplessly as his brother had suffered. So, he didn't understand. He didn't understand why he'd been feeling the way he has been. He didn't understand why he's been so selfish. And in being so selfish he'd hurt his brother deeply. All he wanted to do is fix it, to make it better, but he had no idea how.

Luke's stomach was in knots. What he'd learned that day had made him sick. And he'd never felt more ashamed. He'd felt plenty of shame in his life but none of it compared to this. How the people who loved Alec so much, his father, his team, the team he'd formed into a family, and himself, how they'd missed it all he didn't know.

He couldn't imagine what it had been like. Knowing now the load that Alec had carried he'd wondered for a moment how he'd had time to even eat between training classes, when he'd had time to sleep after patrols and after spending hours every night doing field reports. And then he'd realized that he hadn't. He hadn't eaten. Not enough. And he hadn't slept enough either. How he'd survived as long as he had he just didn't know.

But he understood now why he had such a hard time putting his own needs first. He understood why he had such a hard time taking care of himself. It was because he hadn't for so long. For two years. And in some ways for several more before that. It was because he'd wanted his family to have lives. He'd wanted them to live. So much so that he'd sacrificed everything for them and when it had finally come to a very abrupt stop it had killed him.

But it shouldn't have been that way. He should have seen it and put an end to it. For more than twenty years it had been his job to watch over and tend to the health and wellbeing of the Shadowhunters at The New York Institute and any other Institute that needed him. And he'd tended to them all. Except for one. And he swore in that moment that it wouldn't happen again. Never again.

He would watch every move his favorite patient made, especially while he was pregnant, for the rest of his life. And he would start now. He was going to finish up the preparations, the same preparations that he should have made before Alec's first heat but hadn't known that he'd needed to because he hadn't known anything about omegas. And he should have. He should have done research on them as soon as Alec presented and been prepared.

"What do we do?" Clary asked. Her heart was breaking. She hadn't felt her parabatai since Magnus had whisked him from the room seconds after hearing what his brothers had said. But she'd felt him as they spoke the words that had broken his heart and as the full force of those words had hit him. Then seconds after the bedroom door had closed, she'd felt nothing. The only consolation she had was that he wasn't in mortal danger. Not yet anyway.

"I'm not sure there's anything you can do." Robert said softly. He could see the worry and fear for her parabatai in her eyes. And in his princess'. They weren't the ones who'd hurt their brother. Not in the way that really mattered. They'd just wanted to protect him. "Magnus was going to take him away for his heat to a place that's quiet and peaceful. Now, with this, their leaving today."

"Will we at least get to see him?" She asked, knowing that her desperation could be heard crystal clear in her voice.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Cat said. She could see the worry and fear for her parabatai in her eyes. And her daughter's. They weren't the ones who'd hurt him. They'd only wanted to protect him. But he had been hurt.

Clary's heart sank for the millionth time that day. Her parabatai was leaving for The Angel only knew how long. They had no idea how long his heat would last or how long he would be away after it to recover. And she might not even get to give him a goodbye kiss.

"There might be something." Jace said softly, finally lifting his eyes from the floor. He hadn't been able to look at anyone since his big brother had left the room. His anger and frustration had deflated in the blink of an eye, in the blink when he saw his brother's eyes. And the heartbreak in them. Simon wasn't the only one who'd been in the wrong. He was just as guilty. He'd had the same thoughts and feelings. And he was just as ashamed. They'd hurt their brother before, but not like this. And he had to do something. They had to do something.

Clary and Izzy smile. They already knew what he had in mind.

____________________

Alec sniffled. His eyes were puffy from crying, but the tears had finally stopped falling. His alpha's soothing scent had helped a great deal to calm and comfort him. But having his arms wrapped around him was comforting him even more. And hearing his steady heartbeat where his head rested on his chest was comforting too. But his own heart still ached.

"I just don't understand." He said softly for what must have been the millionth time. Because he didn't. His mind wouldn't stop racing. Countless memories kept flashing before his eyes. Wonderful, happy memories. Memories of jokes told, goofy moments, and of laughter and love.

He didn't regret a single decision from the past. He just didn't understand the present.

"I know, sweetheart." Magnus said just as softly, pressing a soft kiss to his Shadowhunter's forehead. Those were the words that he knew he'd heard at least a million times, and he'd repeated his own just as many.

But he didn't care how many times his love repeated the only words he'd been able to say for the past hour. If his angel needed to say them, he would hear them. He would hold him in his arms and listen. And he'd do anything and everything he could think of to try and comfort him in any way he could.

He was angry. So very angry at their family. Not so much at Biscuit and Isabelle, but with his love's brothers. It was hard holding the demon that lived inside him back when it wanted so badly to break free, but he would. The angel that held in his arms needed him, so he would hold it back.

He'd finally come to learn a lot of truths. A lot of hard truths for his Shadowhunter's team. He'd come to learn the how and the why his sweet omega had been in such bad shape when his first heat had started just under three months ago.

He'd learned everything he'd done for his siblings. Everything he'd sacrificed. All things that he'd kept to himself. They were things that he'd never wanted their family to know. And things that he in no way regretted. He'd wanted his then small family to have lives, so he'd done everything within his power to ensure that they'd had them, even when it had cost him his own.

He'd thought that he'd understood his precious Alexander's words from weeks before when he'd stood in front of their army and said that he hadn't wanted to be the best or to lead the best team, he'd only wanted the team he'd formed into a family to live. His incredibly strong young warrior had taught them to be their best to give them their best chance. He'd given all that he'd had to give to give them their best chance to live all the while they were already living. At least, as much as a young Shadowhunter could live. But he hadn't understood. Not fully. Not then.

While he understood his husband's soul deep desire to give those he loved as much as he could, he didn't understand how he'd given so much. Not the love. He understood the love. But what he didn't understand is how he'd done all that he had and given all that he had for so long. Keeping that kind of pace especially while not taking care of himself should have killed him long before it finally had.

He also didn't understand how five people who had been so incredibly close for so long, five people who loved each other so fiercely, how four of them could have been so blind. He didn't understand how his twin sister and parabatai hadn't seen what was happening right in front of them.

Surely his twin should have seen that something was wrong while her big brother was working himself towards death. Surely his parabatai should have seen or felt that something was wrong with the one that she'd bound herself for life. One who had protected her time and time again long before they'd stepped into the field for the first time or set food on the battlefield where The Dark War had waged.

And more than all of that, he didn't understand his precious Alexander's little brother and best friend. With everything that they had seen every day over the last three months, with everything that they'd been forced to watch their brother go through, how they could feel the way they felt and say the things that they had was beyond his comprehension.

He'd activated his Shadowhunter's intimacy rune the moment he'd pulled him from the living room. He'd wanted to shield him. And Biscuit. He'd wanted to shield them from each other. He'd been feeling her pain along was his own, just as she'd been feeling his and there was no need for that.

While he wasn't happy with Biscuit for keeping this from him, he understood why she'd kept it from her parabatai. Just as he understood why Isabelle had done the same thing.

He'd seen Luke and Robert's guilt and self-hatred in their eyes. While he didn't know how either of them had missed what was going on right in front of them either, not with how much they loved his husband, he was having a hard time being angry with them. His love kept telling them, the three of them, that the past is the past and that he needed them to let it go. And Luke and Robert had been trying. Just as he had been trying to let his own failure, the failure of not coming for him when he'd presented go. But he knew that they'd all just taken a major setback in their efforts.

"Alpha?" He asked softly.

"Yes, angel?" Magnus asked, pressing another soft kiss to his husband's forehead.

"What do I do?" He asked. "I don't..." He started, stopping when soft music floated in from the living room. Frowning he pushed himself up and out of his precious warlock's arms, listening. He knew that song.

"Alexander?" Magnus asked. "What is it, love?"

"I know that song." He said softly.

_____________________

https://youtu.be/jK6JQSPFzPM

Alec crept silently out of the bedroom he shared with his husband, listening to his little brother play a song with his parabatai on a piano they'd composed just for him. A piano that hadn't been there just an hour before. And to his best friend and baby sister with their violins.

Listening to the beautiful music he remembered the first time he'd heard it. It was after his fall. After Luke had release him from the infirmary. They'd played it to cheer him up. To make him feel better. They'd thought that he would like it, and he had.

Magnus didn't know what was happening in his living room, but his Shadowhunter seemed captivated by it. By the sight before him and the beautiful music. With each passing second, he saw his angel relax just a little more. While he had no idea what their family was doing, so long as it wasn't upsetting his love, he would let it play out.

Cat chewed her bottom lip. She hadn't known what to think when her children had asked her for the instruments she'd provided. She wasn't sure if she was playing a part in something that would hurt her son or make things worse. But seeing his soft smile as he listened to what her other children were playing, she could see that whatever was happening is a good thing.

Robert had known when his children had made what would seem to most a very odd request what they'd wanted to do, what they were doing now that would help their brother. The beautiful music he was hearing now, he'd heard it before a time or two at the Institute. They hadn't known that he was there listening and watching them play for his son just as they are now.

It hadn't taken long for him to realize that the song they were playing was one that they'd composed for him and later that they always played it for him whenever he needed a little cheering up. And by the sparkle he saw in his Alexander's crystal blue eyes, a sparkle that hadn't been there an hour before, he knew that it was helping him now.

Luke smiled. He'd known as soon as the kids had asked for the instruments what they were going to do. He'd heard this song several times before whenever he'd gone to check on Alec. He'd first heard it after his fall and had heard it several times since. He'd heard it whenever Alec was recovering from an injury or illness. Or just when he seemed to need a little cheering up our comfort.

Beautiful memories flashed before Alec's eyes as he heard his favorite song, a song that his family had composed just for him. He'd thought that learning an instrument would be good for them all. It had been proven that it helped with various forms of development, and he'd wanted to give his team, his family, every advantage he could.

His little brother had already had a fondness for the piano before he'd lost his parents, and talent. And it hadn't taken them long to realize that his Clare-bear was drawn to it herself.

While his best friend usually played the cello, he could play the violin just as well, just as he was doing now with his sister. It was usually him and his Izzy-Diz that played the violin, something they both enjoyed, just as they enjoyed the battles they would have in the music room at the Institute.

He remembered the first time that they'd dragged him into the music room after his fall and had played this for him. They'd wanted to cheer him up. He'd been really down because Luke wouldn't let him train. And he'd been missing both it and the time with them. So, they'd sat him down and he'd heard it for the first time.

He'd thought that it was beautiful then and still did. He remembered the last time he'd heard it. After his presentation he'd heard it every day for weeks. And every time it had made him feel better, at least for a little while.

Watching them play while he listened to what had years ago become his favorite song, he knew that none of them had meant to hurt him. In all honestly, he'd known it even when he'd heard what his brothers had said. But it had.

Listening as the end ended, he knew that they were trying to help. To tell him that they loved him. And that there was something that they wanted to say. And if saying what they had drawn him out to say would help them, to help him, then he'd heard it.

Setting his violin aside Simon crossed distance between him and his best friend. It was hard looking him in the eye, he was so ashamed, but he did.

"I'm sorry." He said softly, trying to think of how to put what he wanted to say, what he needed to say into words.

"For what?" Alec asked, needing to know exactly what his best friend was sorry for. He didn't know if his brother wanted to apologize just for hurting him, or for the reasons why he'd hurt him. Reasons he knew and understood even if he didn't. All reasons that he didn't need to apologize for.

"Everything." He said. "I'm trying to think of the best way to put it all into words. I hurt you today and I'm sorry.

For weeks...I've been angry. I've been angry because my friend has been going through so much. He's been suffering and hurting so much. The first few times before we knew that you were having visions and not nightmares I...it was hard because I couldn't help you. I wanted to make them go away and I couldn't. I felt helpless. And not being able to help you made me angry.

And as the visions got worse...as they hurt you more and more that feeling of helplessness just got worse. And so did the anger. Then you almost died. More than once. Then there wasn't just anger. There was fear. I mean...there was fear before. Just not like that. I'd never felt fear like that.

So, then I wasn't just angry and didn't just feel helpless, I was scared. Every night when I went to bed, I was afraid that we'd wake up in the middle of the night because you'd been hurt again, and it would be even worse than before. And every day when I woke up, I was scared because I didn't know if you were going to be hurt again then and that I would be just as helpless as I've always been to stop it. There's just been no stopping it.

I wanted to be mad at The Angel for hurting you. But as hard as I tried, I couldn't be. I couldn't because as much as these visions hurt you, they save lives. They've already saved Jia and Luke and Leenie. And Lydia. And they're going to save so many more.

But even knowing that they're going to save people, I still felt angry. And as much as I wanted to, I couldn't make that anger go away. And it just kept getting worse. Every day it just keeps getting worse. And I..." He started, unsure how to finish.

"Come here." Alec said softly, pulling his best friend turned brother into his arms. "I get it. I do. When things get bad, really bad, and what your feeling becomes too much you have to let it out or it'll eat you alive.

You couldn't be mad at The Angel. And you couldn't be mad and mom or dad or Iz or Clare-bear. You couldn't be mad at my husband. You couldn't be mad at them because they all wanted to help just as much as you did. They felt just as helpless as you did. So, without realizing it you got mad at the only one left. You got mad at me.

You knew on a conscious level that you shouldn't be mad at me for this. But all of that anger and fear and helplessness had to come out. So, without you know it, it found its way out. It found an outlet. Then you had something that you could be angry about."

"I didn't mean..." He started, hiccupping in his brother's arms. He couldn't stop the tears that fell and didn't try to. They had to come out too.

"I know." Alec said, pressing a soft kiss to the top if his brother's head. "You knew why I wasn't out there training with you. And if I'm right I'd say that walking past the archery range every day was a reminder of that.

Then one day it became too much. One day when you looked around and saw that I wasn't there the anger that you'd been holding in, that was the day that your mind gave you your reason to be mad at me even if you didn't know it."

Simon didn't know how his brother could see so much of what he hadn't. But he'd always seen what others didn't. What they couldn't. It was part of what made Alec, Alec. That, and his understanding.

"So, you're not mad at me?" He asked, hoping with all that he was that he wasn't. As selfish as he knew that it was, he needed him to not be angry. He knew that if he was, he wouldn't be able to take it. He would break.

"No. I'm not mad." Alec said. Because it was true. He wasn't angry and he wasn't hurt. Not anymore. The pain he'd felt had faded quickly as he spoke to his brother. It had only taken a second for him to realize what had happened and understand. "Just talk to me next time. Okay?"

"Okay." He said, pulling back and wiping his tears away.

Once again Magnus was amazed by his angel. Mere moments ago, his heart had justifiably been broken and all it had taken to mend it was talking it out with the one who'd hurt him. Well, one of them.

He'd seen through to the heart of the matter and had seen it for what it was. He'd seen how and why Simon had come to feel the way he'd been feeling for weeks even when Simon hadn't seen it himself. His Shadowhunter had understood it. And in understanding it, he'd done more than forgive him. In understanding it, he'd been able to let his own pain go. And his love wasn't the only one who'd impressed him. The rest of their family had too.

He didn't know how long ago it had been that they'd found a way, created a way if he wasn't mistaken, to comfort their big brother and help him through hard times the way he'd always helped them. He didn't know the story behind the beautiful song that had captivated his precious Alexander and eased the tension in the air, but he was going to find out.

"Um..." Jace started, stepping in front of his big brother. "What he said."

"I know." Alec said, pulling his little brother into his arms. "You've never been good with words."

"That's always been your thing." He said, chuckling. "Forgive me?"

"Always." Alec said, giving him a light squeeze. Out of all of his siblings, his little brother wasn't overly fond of hugs and kisses. Well, unless they were his mate's.

"Hey." Clary said beside them. "Move. I want my parabatai."

Alec couldn't help but smile at his parabatai's words. She could be so bossy sometimes.

"I love you; you know." She said, wrapping him in her arms. She wanted him there. When he was there, she could keep him safe. The same way he'd always kept her safe.

"I think you've said something like that once or twice." He said, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. And he smiled at the little bow resting in her curls. It was so cute. But he couldn't help but tug lightly on one of her perfect curls as she stepped back. "Do you have one of these in every color now?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." She said. "But I'm mad at you. For New York."

"I thought you might be." He said. "All that, I never wanted you to know. Not any of you. Including dad and Luke. I'm sure right now they're doing what they always do. Blaming themselves for not seeing it or some such nonsense. But like you, they shouldn't.

No one saw it because I didn't want you to. I made my choices, and I don't regret them. In the end did they have a price? Yes. But even if I could go back, I wouldn't do anything differently."

"But why?" She asked. "I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?" He asked. "You and Jace, you're mates. Just like Iz and Si are. You love each other and that love matters, not just to you but to me too. It always has.

You don't know what your schedules would have been, Clare-bear. But I do. And I wasn't willing to let you and Jace be ships passing in the night. Or Si and Iz. Having time with your mate is important. It's precious. And I wanted you to have it.

So be mad if you want to. But I'd rather you didn't." He said, gently cupping and caressing her cheek. "I'd rather none of you were."

"Promise me you won't do anything like that ever again." She said. "Not just because I don't think you shouldn't have done it in the first place because I do, but because you have your own mate now and you're married and you're going to have kids just like the rest of us."

"That's an easy enough promise to make." He said, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Okay." She said, reaching up and brushing a lock of soft raven hair out of his eyes. "But I still don't agree with the choices you made. I told you at the pond that we should have shared the load and I stand by that."

"I know. And going forward we will. Trust me on that. Wait and see." He said, winking.

"Okay, parabatai. Get out of my way." Izzy said.

Alec couldn't help but smile at his Izzy-Diz too. She was definitely the reigning queen on bossy.

"You're stupid you know." She said, punching her brother in the arm. "I don't know how someone so brilliant could be so stupid."

"I guess you're mad too." He said, pulling her into his arms.

"You think?" She asked, wrapping her arms around him. "You killed yourself. Not could have. Not almost. You did." She said softly, tears welling in her eyes. While he'd said that he didn't want them to be mad, she would be. At herself.

For the second time in their lives, she'd missed what was going on with her twin. And what had been going on was important.

"I know." He said, just as softly. "I think that's probably one thing that if I could go back that I would change. It kinda caused some problems."

"Don't you dare do it." She said, anger flashing in her deep brown eyes. Eyes that matched their father's. "I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear a word about that day in the field ever again. Yes, you were wrong to put yourself in that position. A position that did cause problems. But that wasn't just on you. It was on us too rather you wanted to hide what you were doing or not. We should have seen it.

And as much as I don't like your decisions, I understand them. I would have done the same thing stupid or not. And I know that no matter how hard I tried to hide it, you would have seen right through it. And that's what we should have done for you."

"Iz..." He started.

"No." She said, cutting him off. "It's true. We should have. But one thing that we all have to accept is that what's done is done. The past is the past. And as much as we may regret some of it, there's nothing we can do about it now.

You've been telling dad that. And your husband. And probably Luke because he blames himself for everything. But you've been right every time you've said it. We all need to close that door. We need to look to the future. Not the past."

Neither Robert, Luke, nor Magnus knew what to say to Izzy's words. Or if there was anything that should be said. She was right. Alec had been right. What was done was done. It's the past and while they may all have some regrets there really is nothing that they could do about it now. They couldn't go back and do anything differently as much as they may want to.

Continuing to beat themselves up over it despite how hard they'd been trying not to because Alec had asked it of them, all it would do is cause pain. They did need to close that door and look to the future because the future is bright.

Robert had his children and his Catarina. And he may very soon have grandchildren on the way. He'd also been reunited with his mother, a woman he's missed dearly for two decades.

Luke had been reunited with his girls and he had a baby on the way, even if no one knew about it yet. He didn't have to hide his little family anymore or the one that would soon be coming. He didn't have to miss another moment of his Sunshine's life. And he'd left a world that he despised behind, a life that short of being a doctor he'd hated and was now in a beautiful one.

Magnus had waited over 800 years to find his one true love and now he had him. His precious Alexander was more than a fated mate. He's the other half of his soul. He also had a very precious dream come true right around the corner. A dream that he'd thought would never come true. He would have the children he'd always ached for with his Shadowhunter.

They truly didn't have a reason to dwell on the past. Not when it's the present and the future that matters.

Cat could see in her Robert's eyes that he'd just truly made peace with the past, a past that wouldn't be plaguing him anymore.

Just as she could see in Luke's eyes that he'd let his regret for things that he hadn't done for his favorite patient go. Isabelle was right. He does always blame himself for everything, even things well beyond his control. And as a family they would help him break that habit.

And she could see that her oldest and dearest friend had let not being there for his Shadowhunter when he presented go. But there was a reason why he hadn't been. Several reasons why. Now he'd finally accepted that they had come together when they had because that was when it was meant to happen. Had they come together before it would have changed countless destines. And their world.

And her children. As always, her children had amazed her. They truly were a family that loved each other unconditionally. And they could and would work through anything and everything until the end of days.

"We know that you're leaving tonight, and I think that's a good thing." Izzy said. "You need to get away from here for a while. From Haven. From this house." She said, smiling when her Rockstar chuckled. She knew that he'd been going crazy being cooped up in the house. "But before you go, I think that there's something that you need to do."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Alec asked. He couldn't help but chuckle at her words, that he needed to get out of 'this house.' He'd been going crazy being on 'house arrest' and they all knew it.

"I think that it would be good for you to have a little fun before you go." She said, smiling. "We've been here for a while now and there's something that we haven't done yet that I think we need to do."

"I'm listening." He said, wondering where she was going. But the mischievous look in her eyes told him that it was something that was going to be good.

"I thought that we could maybe make a little noise." She said.

"Yeah." Clary said. She knew what Izzy meant when she'd said 'make a little noise.' And she's right. They did need to make a little noise. They actually needed to do more than that. "You know, bring the thunder."

Alec's eyes lit up at their words. His baby sister was right. They had been in Haven for a while, and they hadn't done it. They hadn't brought their noise or brought their thunder. And it was just what they needed.

"Gear up." He said, his crystal blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

Comments and feedback are always welcome! If you enjoyed this chapter, please give it a vote. Also feel free to follow me on Twitter @ BrandyB17922482.