Magnus rang the bell of the Institute and waited for Maryse Lightwood to open the door. In her arms she held a child.

"Hello, Magnus. Thank you for coming so soon." She opened the door wider and let the warlock inside. Maryse led the way and from in front of her shoulder, Magnus saw a little head peek over with dark wispy hair and wide dark eyes. After a few seconds, the child pulled itself up higher over Maryse's shoulder. It stretched its arms out towards Magnus and opened and closed its fists.

"It seems that Isabelle likes you," Maryse chuckled. As they reached the living area, Maryse turned.

"Do you want to hold her?" Magnus hesitated. He wasn't so good with children. Without an answer, Maryse transferred Isabelle over to Magnus's arms. Isabelle's dark eyes searched Magnus's face. She giggled, apparently liking what she saw. She reached one hand up and pulled on Magnus's hair hard.

"Ow!"

"Oh, sorry about that. Isabelle likes sparkly things and shows her affection most violently." Maryse smiled at Magnus as she cradled Isabelle in her arms.

"Now, the reason I called you here is…" she broke off when Robert entered the room.

"Hi, Maryse. Bane," he greeted. Robert stepped forwards and took Isabelle from his wife's arms. A toddler ran from his father's side up to his mother. Maryse swept him up and asked Robert how the trip went.

"It was good. Alec was very well-behaved." Magnus looked at the toddler in Maryse's arms curiously. Maryse noticed that and smiled motherly.

"Oh, that's right. You haven't met Alec. Magnus, meet Alexander Gideon Lightwood." Magnus smiled wistfully at Alexander's middle name.

"Say hi, Alec." Maryse rotated her body so that Alec's side was facing Magnus. Alec looked at Magnus with beautiful blue eyes and buried his head in his mother's neck shyly.

"Um, Isabelle's middle name wouldn't happen to be Sophia, would it?" Maryse gave Magnus a lopsided smile.

"It is. Why?" Magnus chuckled and shook his head. He was so happy for Sophie when she became a Shadowhunter and then when she married Gideon. He was grateful that there was some remnant of them in the present day.

"Just a lucky guess. Now, about why you called me here?"

"Mom! Alec's pulling my hair!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Magnus could hear the bickering as the siblings walked down the stairs. It was three years since the first time Magnus had met the Lightwood children and Isabelle had just turned four. Isabelle ran down the stairs and up to her mother.

Isabelle was wearing a red dress with her hair tied up in a ponytail. Alec was right behind Isabelle. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Isabelle was in my room!"

"Just cause you have cooler toys than me!" Isabelle turned to Maryse with big pleading eyes.

"Can I have a bow and arrow? Please, mom?" Her dark eyes grew wide and even Magnus had trouble resisting her powers.

"No. Now, go and do your homework!"

The kids scampered off, their arguing still audible.

Magnus finished opening a Portal for Maryse and set out to leave. He passed the living room and saw a ten year old Alec sitting on the couch with a book and piece of paper. Magnus leaned on the back of the couch, curious as to what Hodge assigned the kids.

"Watcha working on?" Alec didn't reply, just crossed his arms and slouched down farther.

He grumbled, "Rwy'n casau yr aseiniad hwn." Magnus straightened up and looked at the back of Alec's head in shock.

"What was that?" he asked quietly.

"I hate this assignment," Alec said as he put his book on the table. Magnus walked around the couch and looked into Alec's gloomy face. Alec called out towards the kitchen: "Mom, gallaf fynd y tu allan?"

"Alec, in English, please!" Alec sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Mom, can I go outside?" When Maryse responded with a negative, Alec turned back to Magnus who was still staring at him.

"What?" Magnus shook his head slightly to focus himself.

"How long have you spoken Welsh?" Alec's eyebrows knitted together.

"What are you talking about?" Magnus knelt in front of Alec and stared into his blue eyes.

"Welsh. How long have you spoken it?" Alec shrugged and rolled his eyes.

"Um, maybe four, five years?" Magnus sighed and smiled sadly. Alec looked at Magnus with confusion and something that seemed equivalent to pity.

"What's wrong?"

"Remind me to someday tell you about a boy named William Herondale."

Alec was reading a book in front of Magnus's fireplace.

"There's no way that you can read Latin!" Magnus exclaimed, snatching the book out of his boyfriend's hands.

"I can speak, read, and write in many languages, including Greek and German. Perks of being a Shadowhunter," Alec said as he rose from the couch. Magnus held the book above his head. Alec was stretching up to reach it.

"Why are you reading The Shadowhunter Codex?" Magnus asked.

"I have the English version in my room. It's really old. It came from the London Institute, I think." Magnus brought the book down and handed it to Alec.

"Yeah, it was part of a set from the London Institute. From the… 1700s? No, it was the 1800s," Alec mused as he flipped back to his page. Magnus hadn't moved since he gave Alec the book back.

Will gave Tessa that book.

"We have a couple of artifacts from Institutes all around the world. An old Phosphor from the London Institute…"

Henry's inventions

"… an ornate box from the Beijing Institute…"

Jem's box

"… an old dollhouse for some reason…"

Baby Jessie and all the others

"… an old Lightwood ring…"

Gabriel's ring for Cecily

"… a painting that's actually really cool. It's pretty modern for that time. A girl's face with tied back hair on one side, loose on the other, hazel eyes, a scar on her cheek, runes on the left side of her neck, kind of like she was split down the middle…"

Sophie's portrait as a wedding gift

"… and a dress that seemed to belong to a child." "Not a child." Alec looked up to where Magnus was standing. "What?"

"Her name was Charlotte Branwell and she the head of the London Institute and she was married to Henry Branwell." Alec put his book down and tugged Magnus to his bed.

"What's wrong?" Magnus shook his head. Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus and got him into bed.

"We can talk about it tomorrow, cariad." Magnus sighed and wrapped his arms around Alec's slim figure.

"Cariad, huh?" All of the memories of Alec's growing up flashed through Magnus's mind.

"Yeah, it means…"

"I know what it means." Alec stretched up to press a kiss to Magnus's forehead.

"Then go to sleep, cariad. We'll talk in the morning."