Chapter 1: The Lightwood-Bane Family: Eight Years Later…

Magnus rolled over almost, completely out of breath. It was four in the morning and he woke up, wide, bright-eyed awake almost an hour prior. He decided if he was going to be stuck awake then his husband was going to be stuck with him, after all being married for ten years and together for twelve years gave him that right. He was a wonderful husband, after all, Magnus made sure to get Alec to wake up in a very intimate manner involving his mouth and his well-placed tongue. He wasn't completely rude, he was a gentleman after all, and made sure if he was going to wake his husband up; he was going to make sure he was the one who got off first.

Alec was breathing just as deeply, but that didn't stop him from making his next comment, "What's wrong old man, can't keep up with your young, dashingly good looking husband?"

Magnus frowned at him, Alec had taken to calling him 'old man' since his birthday a few weeks ago, a birthday in which he turned the big 4-0. He made sure to spend the entire night showing Alec how much he wasn't an old man. He kept reminding Alec, he wasn't too far behind him, but that didn't sway Alec from using the current nickname. "Babe, I swear to god," He rolled over onto his side to rest his head on his hand and look down at Alec who was flat on his back. "I am going to withhold all sex if you don't cut it out."

He decided to change his tactic then, losing all sex would not work for Alec, "At least, we still got it." Alec winked, going up for a quick kiss then landing back down on his pillow. "Why did I get such a fun wakeup call at-" Alec glanced over at his clock on the nightstand, "-four in the morning?"

"I don't know." Magnus smirked, in his typical smile, he had a few more creases in his skin than when their relationship began. Showing off his age a little more, "I was awake, so I felt you should also be awake with me."

"Fair." Alec wrapped an arm around Magnus' neck and pulled him down on him, "Kiss me."

Magnus' smile grew and he complied with his husband's demands. Neither of them would be going back to sleep tonight.

…

"Max, leave your sisters alone." Magnus tapped Max on the back of the head as he walked by the kitchen table. It was Saturday morning and both he and Alec were cranky as they never went back to sleep the night before. Max and Raphael were on one side of the table and Cecily and Anna were on the other side of the table. Max was making faces at the girls which it being seven in the morning on a Saturday neither was thrilled with his form of amusement. He taps Raphael as he walked back by.

Raphael frowned, "Hey, what was that for?"

"I'm sure it's for something you're going to do today." Magnus went over to Alec who was grabbing his second cup of coffee, Magnus was on cup number three.

That was the amusement the girls liked as both of them giggled into their finished bowls of cereal.

Neither of the boys were amused.

"Husband, the children are being annoying," Magnus smirked over to the table as they all began to protest at his words. He just let them whine as he smirked

Alec leaned in for a quick kiss before heading to the table. "Raphael and Cecily, neither of you finished your homework last night, I checked before packing up your backpacks." Him or Magnus checked their homework every night and if they needed help then they would offer it, but their homework had to be done, or they had to wake up early on a school day and finish, or if it was a Saturday then they sat at the table until complete, "Bring your books and homework up here. You can't do anything until it's complete." They both began another side of protests, "You guys know the drill. You should have finished yesterday."

"Daddy, can I stay at the table with Cece?" Anna asked.

"Nope, you go get ready. You and Max get to go grocery shopping with Papa." He saw their eyes go wide and then their mouths began to open, "Enough." He eyed them, "You guys don't have to go. You can always stay here and sit in the corner doing nothing all day but staring at the wall. Or you can scrub all the bathrooms from top to bottom." Anna and Max just stared at him, "You are both done with breakfast, go get ready."

Magnus went over to him, "Can you go to the store?" He asked.

"No," Raphael spoke up, "I need help with my homework and I like Alec-" He spoke without thinking, "I mean sorry, dad- I mean-." He was just as confused as Cece with the switch of terms.

Alec smirked, "I love you too, kid." He kissed Magnus on his cheek, "You get grocery shopping and I get homework." He turned back to the kids, "Wash up and get your homework up here."

All four of their children took off, three for the basement and one for upstairs. Magnus twisted Alec around to run his hands up and down Alec's arms, pushing Alec's back into the table. "I know I woke you up early, but you hate me so much to send me to the store with a sixteen and an eight-year-old. Those two like to dig at one another."

"You know Raphael has been responding better when I help with his homework, I'm sorry." Alec looked all around Magnus' face, but he never saw a frown, just a perplexed look. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm glad Raphael, has you. I was just thinking of maybe getting him a tutor." Magnus did frown then, "He gets good grades, but he has to work so hard at it. I want to do something to make it easier."

"To be honest, I thought of that years ago, but he has always responded so well to me and not anyone else. I think I tutor wouldn't help much and be a waste of money." Alec got another quick kiss before stepping to the side. "He does get good grades A's and B's. I think we have a good system and we should keep at it." He grabbed his list off the table and shoved it in Magnus' back pocket.

"You know, this might actually work in our favor." Magnus leaned on the edge of the table, "Max and Anna are bound to annoy each other in the store, I think a fitting punishment should be bathroom cleaning duty. We get the best of both worlds. Help with the groceries and clean bathrooms."

"Ohhh," Alec grinned from his place by the sink, "I like the way you think."

"So, I'm forgiven for the three am wakeup call?" Magnus spoke hopefully as Max and Raphael made their way up the stairs.

"Oh no, I still need something from you later. But right now we need to have a little chat with Max." Alec pulled on Max's arm as he went by him, going back to ignoring Magnus leaving his sentence open-ended, "Child, you listen to me. You better start being nice to your sisters or your car is mine car. Do you understand?"

"What?" Max grinned, knowing what his father meant. Max had left his sisters behind last night when Alec told him to take them out with him last night.

"Don't 'what' me. I'm not kidding." Alec twisted him to stare him down, Max wasn't as tall as him but he was getting close, "One more mistake and it's gone. That car you share with Raph will be Raph's only. And I will make you walk to school every day until you graduate, there will be no rides from us, or Raph, or your friends. Walking every single day, rain, shine, or snow. Do we understand each other?"

Max looked at the floor and nodded, he thought he was being funny last night, sneaking out before his sisters were ready. Raphael had called him twice; he only picked up on the second call in which he was informed he could cover for him, but he wasn't sure how well that would go. It didn't go well for him, "Yes, dad."

"And if you cover for your brother one more time, then the car is gone from both of you." Alec pointed between his children.

"Dad, I was going to the movies with my friends, I didn't want my kid sisters tagging along."

"I don't care what you want. I told you, you could only go if you took your sisters. Magnus and I had a work function and Raphael had to work, you're lucky his work didn't need him, or I would have gone to that movie theater and pulled you out of the movie in front of all your friends, and I would have been really embarrassing about it." He waited for Max to nod again. "Goodbye." Alec pushed on Max's shoulder to get him moving. Anna had made it downstairs in time for Max to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her along with him.

"Ouch." Magnus kissed Alec on the cheek on his way by, "Remind me to be good."

"Get out." Alec pointed to the living room.

Cece and Raphael were sitting at the table with their homework out by the time everyone was gone. Cece only had a math worksheet and a one-page report on the book they read the past week. Raphael had his English textbook and a copy of Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing' out on the table in front of him with his laptop.

"Cece, math first." He tapped the worksheet in front of her when she went to pull the report to her. He went over to Raphael, "Do you need some help or did you just forget?"

"I need help. Shakespeare is so hard to understand."

"Oh," Alec took a seat next to Raphael with a huge smile, "This is a fun comedy. Beatrice and Benedict and their classic love story."

Raphael frowned, "Love story?"

"Oh yeah, funny one too. They hated each other until they started to learn about each other. Opposites attract if you will." Alec picked up the copy and flipped a few pages, "This wasn't my favorite, but the movies about it aren't bad. I like reading the Merchant of Venice or Hamlet. But I felt it had its high points."

Raphael smiled, "It's always fun listening to you talk about books. You read so many of them and know something about all of them."

"My next one will be 'The Book Thief', I think."

"Uncle Jace says you're the smartest person he knows," Cece said from across the table; kicking her feet out in front of her, every once in a while she would tap her feet against the leg of her chair. The back and forth motion had her bouncing in her sit.

Alec smiled at them, "Uncle Jace always says that but it's not true. There are plenty of people smarter than me. But I do like books. I used to read to all of you as babies at bedtime, the same way I still read to Anna."

Raphael shook his head, "Not me."

Alec smirked at Raphael, "I started reading to you before your dad and I were even dating. You were four and you liked books. I read to you and Max all the time. You were the last kid in daycare once and I didn't want to leave you and Max didn't want to leave either, so I sat on the floor and read to you both. That's a fond memory of mine."

"Before you and papa dated?" Cece frowned, "Haven't you always been together?"

Raphael cracked a smile, "No, I used to live in New York City with my dad and mom. But they divorced and we moved to Michigan."

Alec looked at Cece, "Yep, they moved in next door to me and Max. Max was only three and Raphael was four. The boys were instant best friends. Magnus and I started dating after that. Two years later we got married and had you. Then almost three years later we had Anna. We are a blended family."

"Can you have another one? I like babies." Cece asked with a smile on her face.

"No," Alec frowned, "Papa is too old. It's exhausting having children."

"Can I have a baby then?"

Raphael laughed at the look of pure horror written across Alec's face, "No! You cannot have a baby, ever. And I mean ever! You have to stay my baby girl forever."

Cece shook her head, "Anna's the baby."

Alec stood up to move over to sit by Cece, he pulled her in tight, "You're are all my babies. Now, finish your math." He hugged her extra tight until she giggled and screamed and giggled some more.

Raphael laughed along with them, thankful he got to put off Shakespeare just a little longer.

…

Max was sitting on the grass with Raphael next to him, they had been out there for almost an hour in the shade while the girls played on their old swing set. Alec was inside making dinner while Magnus watched, even after all their time together Magnus still barely knew how to make mac n' cheese.

"Are you guys dating?" Raphael asked with a frown, he didn't want to be out here but Max refused to be out here alone and he promised he would stay outside while the girls were playing even though their parents could see the girls from the kitchen window. They both knew it was punishment for the night before.

"Yep, we are now. Sarah and Max. Max and Sarah. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"She's always been rude." Raphael knew which Sarah Max was talking about. They called her Sarah senior because she was the only one in his senior class whereas Max's junior class had five of them. Raphael had an English class with Sarah since middle school and he didn't like her much, but Max was in love with her since middle school and he would give anything to be her boyfriend.

"That's why I had to go to the movies alone. I couldn't bring them and be impressive to Sarah."

"You really want to date someone that you have to hide your sisters from," Raphael asked. He wouldn't want to hide his family from his girlfriend, but he had never had a girlfriend. He had never even been on a date. He didn't find any of them attractive. He had no will or want to date any of them; it all seemed like a chore. He had a fleeting thought that he could be gay like his parents, but he felt indifferent to boys as much as he did to girls. But kids can be cruel and they always picked on him for getting grades, but not dates. They made that rhyme as a taunt to him all the time. No one knew how hard he had to work to get his good grades, all A's and B's, but he had to work hard for them. He wasn't natural smart like his brother who didn't have to open a book and just knew the answer.

"I mean, it's not even the first date. So no I don't want to bring my sisters. You could come, it was just a group of us."

"I had to work. I had to call in because of you." Raphael frowned, "I can't call in again. Besides you were supposed to take me to work on your way. You forgot about that too, didn't you?"

"I know. I know. I'm sorry." Max smiled, "I promise I won't do it again. I promise not to forget and to take my sisters when told to."

"Good, because you know they love you but doing shit like that was really mean." Raphael stood up, "I have homework to do." He went inside without another word to Max. It was rare for him to get upset with Max, but he screwed over his family for a rude, mean girl at school, one that Raphael didn't even like.

He went into the kitchen and found his father sitting at the table twisted a little to look towards the stove with a glass of wine in one hand and his phone in the other. Alec was at the stove stirring something and they weren't talking at the moment, but they rarely sat in the quiet for long.

"Dad, can we talk Shakespeare while you're cooking?" Raphael came and sat down next to his father, "I was thinking if I really learned this story I could do my final paper on it and you made it sound so cool."

"Of course," Alec smiled from his spot. "Go get your book and paper and we can go over things. I think I remember enough off the top of my head or Magnus can answer it."

"No Magnus cannot answer, Magnus can drink the wine." Magnus answered with a frown, "Shakespeare is all Alec or google." He pointed with his phone in the air, "I can google. I hold the power of Google."

"Just think," Alec frowned at Raphael, "He's the high power lawyer."

Raphael laughed at his parents, they began bickering in their normal childish, almost romantic fashion. He almost hated going to get his things because when he came back, he knew they wouldn't bicker so much as they would move on to helping him. He loved his parents. He knew he had a mother and he knew she was living in New York City, but he had no memories of her. And still part of him wanted to see her. He thought it was odd that she wouldn't be here for him, ever. He had a couple of pictures which his father gave to him when he finally got enough nerve to ask about her last year. He had more pictures then his siblings did. Max had one and he didn't want any more. Cece didn't have any and she cried about it for a week straight last year before getting over it. Their parents tried to get in contact with the agency, but the surrogate didn't want her to have any. Anna had one, but it was the day she was born. Her teenage mother left to go away to college and never returned.

Max and the girls came in shortly into Alec and Magnus explaining more of Shakespeare. True to his word, Magnus basically drank wine while Alec talked. Alec knew more than Raphael thought and took eager notes on everything. The girls came in dancing around each other and Max was guiding them inside with a tired expression; his hair also seemed out of place. Raphael knew the girls had attacked him at some point. He didn't stand a chance on his own; Cece was very strong for a ten-year-old.

They sat down for dinner shortly after that in their normal chaos of having six people at the dinner table. Magnus made his dramatic gestures which Alec tried to ignore until laughing couldn't be avoided. Max and Raphael laughed over a YouTube fail video and the girls ate with a stuffed animal a piece at their sides. Alec demanded on the animal a piece as it was getting out of hand to have more than one. This was their normal family dinner that Alec made sure they had at least 4 days a week as well as breakfast on the weekends. Raphael had a job and soccer. Max had art classes. Cece was in dance. And Anna had cheerleading. They each had their own thing, but Alec still demanded they at least try for normal meals.