A/N: HERE IS IT. My first Christmas Special story ever! It was supposed to be a oneshot, but it became too long, so now you'll have 4 chapters of Malec Christmas goodness! I'll be posting chapters 1-3 in the next 3 days and chapter 4 some day after Christmas. Hope you'll enjoy it and please review if you like it! And also if you don't like it, let me know what you didn't like and how I can improve.

Happy reading to all and Merry Christmas! :)

Chapter 1 - December 23rd

It was December 23rd and it felt like the world was ending.

The war against Valentine was full on. Jace had managed to escape Valentine after being held hostage for months and finding out that Clary wasn't really his sister. Jace wasn't related to Clary or to Valentine at all; it was a lie Valentine had told him hoping it would link them together for that much longer. Jace came back to them safely, but the war was not over. Valentine was stronger than ever and they had been fighting so hard against him but it seemed pointless. His army was getting bigger at an alarming rate. Because of his threats to attack Idris, the city was under lockdown, so Alec, Izzy and Jace couldn't go home for Christmas. It was going to be the first time Max would spend Christmas without his siblings and that thought filled Alec with sadness and despair.

Alec was exhausted. All of them were. No one had laughed for weeks, and hardly anyone smiled anymore. They were so worn out by the nonstop fight: physically and emotionally. Valentine had even sent troops to take over the NY Institute and even though they had been stopped, Alec doubted the Institute was safe from future attacks. That's why they hadn't left for Idris to chase Valentine away from the city. The Clave had given them strict orders not to leave the Institutes, so they wouldn't be vulnerable and fall into enemy hands. The fear was, left unattended Valentine or others might be able to take control.

In a nutshell, things were going terribly for the Shadow World. Alec and his friends constantly felt like they were swimming through a wild river, and every time they fought the brutal waves and got back to the surface the land was much further away, like it kept distancing itself from them on purpose… Just to make them feel like they'd never get there, no matter how desperately they swam.

And that's when Luke's idea came: let's go on a vacation. It seemed madness at first, obviously. Vacation? In the middle of the biggest war the Shadow World had ever faced? Alec's first thought was "Surely, we can't do that. That's insane!"

It turned out, not only they could, but they needed it desperately. Because, how could they keep fighting and expect to win with hearts so heavy? With bodies so exhausted and souls so hopeless? They needed to recharge. They all needed some light in their lives before it was too late and they'd give up.

So off to vacation they went. Luke had a secret cabin from his initial werewolf days, during the years when he was hiding from Valentine. And he managed to keep its location secret. So, Luke, Jocelyn and Clary invited Jace, Izzy, Simon and Alec to spend Christmas and NYE there. Alec was hesitant about going at first; he didn't want to leave Magnus alone for Christmas.

Alec and Magnus had been dating for a couple of months by now and Alec grew more and more comfortable around Magnus each day. Despite that, the relationship with Magnus was still new to him. And lately, they didn't have nearly as much time to see each other as Alec wanted. So he asked if he could invite Magnus too, seeing the escapade as the perfect opportunity to spend time with him. Everyone was happy to let Magnus come along and Magnus was excited that he wouldn't have to spend Christmas alone.

So here they were, on the long road trip, heading to the much needed safe haven. They traveled in two cars, expecting it to draw less attention than a big van if they were followed. Valentine had made the hunt for Jace and anyone on his side a personal crusade, so they needed to be extra careful and constantly make sure they weren't followed, which is why the journey took longer than planned. Magnus had offered to portal them there, but they thought it was better not to leave a magical trail leading to them.

Alec didn't mind the road trip. It let his mind drift off from the stressful and hopeless thoughts and he enjoyed having Magnus next to him in the backseat. Alec wasn't a fan of public display of affection, especially not in front of his sister, who was driving, but Magnus holding his hand and caressing it gently almost through the entire trip was something Alec couldn't resist. They enjoyed each other's company, and not even Simon's constant rambling could ruin his mood. Whenever Simon got carried away Alec and Magnus would roll their eyes at each other like they were saying, "Omg, he won't shut up!" and they tried not to burst into laughter.

It was close to sunset by the time they arrived. The freezing wind licked Alec's face as he got out of the car and looked around. They were in the middle of the woods. Snow was everywhere. The stately old pine trees had branches heavily laden with a thick blanket of white. For as far as the eye could see, there was no sign of life. Darkness and silence surrounded them with only the sound of Alec's on breathing resonating through his ears. The quiet was pronounced, but not oppressive. The sky above twinkled with bright, shining specks of light that cast a bright glow on the white covered ground. They walked toward a large, two-story cabin. It looked like a family home and surely, no one would suspect a lone wolf would use it for shelter. It looked cozy from the outside and when they went inside, Alec saw it was also snug on the inside. He could see that nothing had been used for a long time, but the rustic furniture still gave it a Christmasy feeling.

Magnus was getting rid of their tracks in the snow and putting up a protective ward on the house, so no one could find them there and Alec, along with the rest, took their things inside. Alec let everyone settle in first and then occupied the last room available. It was a suite filled with soft colors, a large comfortable bed, a fireplace and what Alec imagined to be a fantastic view of the woods during the day from the window. He wondered why no one else had taken it.

Alec was unpacking his small bag when Luke walked in the room.

"Hey, everything okay here?" he asked as he approached Alec by the wooden wardrobe where Alec was putting his few belongings.

"Yeah. Everything's fine," Alec replied.

"That's good," Luke smiled at him and then his expression went more serious. "Listen, we're out of rooms… I mean, with Magnus here we don't have a room for everyone… so, I was wondering…" Luke stuttered awkwardly, clearly embarrassed. "Jace said you wouldn't mind sharing the room with Magnus," he concluded.

Alec froze on the spot.

"He said that?" he asked, hoping not to reveal the shock in his voice.

"Yep," Luke said, staring at the bed awkwardly.

Maybe Jace should learn to keep his mouth shut sometimes, Alec thought, annoyed. He never discussed Magnus with his siblings, - although Izzy relentlessly tried to pull information out of him - but they were all well aware of the fact that Alec had slept over at Magnus' a couple of times by now. But Alec really didn't need that gossip to become public knowledge. Jace should have known better than to say stuff like that…

"So…" Said Luke, interrupting Alec's train of irritated thoughts. "Would you mind sharing the room with Magnus, then?"

Alec thought about it for a second. Whenever he'd slept over at Magnus' it wasn't planned. Usually, Alec was just too exhausted to leave or it became too late and Magnus considered it unsafe for him to walk back to the Institute alone (he never offered to Portal him back as an alternative, but Alec never asked him to either). And nothing beyond some shirtless make-out sessions ever happened between them. But this was a bit different. They'd have to sleep together, in the same bed, for more than seven days in a row.

Surely, nothing more intense had to happen… Certainly, Magnus wouldn't pressure him into anything, would he? They could just cuddle maybe, like they're used to, or just kiss until they fall asleep… Yes. Falling asleep in Magnus' arms wasn't the worst feeling in the world. Not bad at all… Quite pleasant, actually…

"No, I don't mind," he finally said, blood rushing to his face from the memories . "I'll share with Magnus."

"Great!" Luke cheered, clearly relieved. "I'll be sure to let you know when dinner's ready."

Alec nodded and went back to unpacking his things as Luke walked out of the room. Alec finished and then went downstairs to get Magnus' luggage. He had three heavy, extremely colorful bags. Clary, Jocelyn, Luke and Jace were already making dinner and there was no sign of Izzy and Simon. Alec really didn't want to know what those two could be up do. Their relationship, if one could call it that, was very new and confusing to Alec. They had been dating for a while, but Izzy said it wasn't official yet and Alec very much hoped it wouldn't last.

Once Alec was back in the room he wasn't left alone much longer; soon enough Magnus came in with slightly red cheeks from the cold.

"Everything's secured!" He announced with a smile. "We shouldn't expect any attacks tonight."

"Well, that's a nice change." Alec turned to Magnus and felt instantly better looking at him.

Magnus stepped closer and the smile on his face faded a little.

"So I heard that there aren't any more rooms available…" he said and Alec felt his worries crawl back into his stomach. "Do you really not mind… I mean…" Magnus struggled with his words. "If it was possible for us to sleep in different rooms...would you want to?" he asked facing Alec.

Alec looked at Magnus' distressed face. There was so much concern and tenderness there and Alec knew Magnus would never force him into doing anything that made him uncomfortable. Realizing that made all of Alec's fears vanish.

"No," Alec replied as he stepped closer to Magnus. Then he cupped Magnus' beautiful face, still cold from outside, and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"I missed you," Alec whispered and watched the smile return to Magnus' face with a much lighter heart.

"I missed you too, darling," Magnus said tenderly and Alec felt the rocks get pushed off his shoulders. But just when he allowed himself to feel some joy, he immediately felt a bigger rock smashing him in the form of guilt. How could he be happy when Max wasn't there? And worse, what if Max thought that his siblings had abandoned him?

Magnus noticed the tears that had invaded Alec's eyes and immediately took his hands.

"Alec? What's wrong?" he asked with wide eyes full of concern.

"I just... " Alec struggled, but couldn't the stop the tears from escaping his eyes any longer. "I miss Max."

"Oh, Alec…" Magnus sighed and hugged Alec tightly.

Alec let himself cry on Magnus' shoulder, not caring that he'd never been this open to Magnus with his feelings. Magnus' warm embrace was very inviting to pour his pain out and he was too tired to hold it all back.

"I just wish we could send him a message or… or something… so he knows he's not alone," Alec sobbed against Magnus' shoulder.

"I know." Magnus rubbed his hand against Alec's back and they stayed like that, holding onto each other close in the middle of the room.

Then they heard a soft knock on the doorway. Alec quickly pulled away from Magnus and hid his teary face from the intruder.

"Hey…" Clary said awkwardly from the doorway. "Sorry, I just wanted to tell you guys that the food is ready."

"I'm not hungry," Alec said without looking at her. He definitely didn't want to face people right now.

"Me neither," Magnus said and smiled at her. "But thank you."

Clary nodded and left them alone. Magnus closed the door behind her then turned back to Alec who had sat on the edge of the bed, hiding his face in his hands in a very depressed manner. Magnus sat next to him and after a few moments of hesitation, took Alec's hands in his, forcing Alec to face him.

"Look, we should get some rest now, and we'll come up with something tomorrow. Okay?" Magnus said kindly. "We had a long day. We will think better after some sleep."

What's the point? The city is blocked, we can't get anything through, no matter how much we think about it, Alec thought bitterly, but he nodded. He didn't want to discuss this any longer, the more he was thinking about it the more hopeless it seemed.

They both changed into pajamas and curled up under the covers which were warm in an instant thanks to Magnus' magical intervention. Alec's were practical and consisted of an old t-shirt and tattered cotton pajama bottoms while Magnus' were a rich green silk. Magnus turned on his side while Alec, on his stomach, dived into the huge pillow and warm sheets and slightly turned his head in Magnus' direction.

Alec's fatigue didn't stop him from noticing how the dark color of Magnus' pajamas highlighted the delicate green rings in his eyes. How Magnus managed to look breathtaking in absolutely anything was a mystery to Alec. Even now, after Magnus had magicked his makeup off, he was stunning. He let out a sigh as he admired Magnus' unique eyes, the most beautiful eyes Alec had seen, and enjoyed Magnus' soft caresses across his face and down the backside of his neck. Magnus' fingers, applying a bit of pressure, reached Alec's shoulder. All the tension and stress Alec had endured in the last couple of weeks made him wince with pain at the slightest pressure and Magnus noticed it. He gently massaged the pain away with his palm and then it seemed as he had an insight, because the next thing Alec knew, he was laying shirtless and Magnus was kneeling on the bed beside him, his hands all over Alec's back, rubbing some sort of oil on Alec's skin with strong, fluid hand movements.

Alec was surprised, but he didn't object. He couldn't have even if he wanted to, because what Magnus was performing on his neck, shoulders and back felt so wonderful Alec wished it never ended. Magnus stretched and squeezed his sore muscles until Alec felt like a sponge. It was quite painful at the beginning, but Magnus' incredibly smooth yet strong movements slowly dissolved his knots, and the smell… the smell was amazing. Was it lavender? Alec couldn't tell, but he loved the way it made him feel. He loved the way Magnus made him feel. As he felt more and more relaxed thanks to Magnus' amazing massage Alec thought about how good Magnus has been to him… Alec wanted to say thank you or do something to show his gratitude, but he couldn't move. Alec's breath deepened and the sensation of floating in air drove him into a heavy sleep.

Betad by Holly0114, Sabiduria and xx ShamiksXaxx.