Hi I just wanted really Magnus and Alec with a baby okay?
Disclaimer: I don't own TMI.
"Waaaaah!"
"What the hell is that, Magnus?" Alec mumbled, still half-asleep.
"A baby," Magnus replied nonchalantly. Alec's eyes shot open.
"A what?"
"A baby," Magnus repeated. And he was, in fact, cradling a tiny baby that couldn't have been more than a few months old.
"Why do you have a baby?" Alec demanded. Magnus shrugged.
"We were talking last night and you said you thought you might want a baby at some point. So I decided to make one." Alec stared at Magnus, jaw practically on the floor.
"We're men. That's not possible."
"I'm the High Warlock of Brooklyn, darling," Magnus replied as he bounced the baby slightly. The crying died down and the baby elected to stare at Alec instead, wide-eyed. "If I want to create a child, I can. I took the x-chromosome from you and the y-chromosome from me to create a baby boy. Isn't he cute?"
"What the hell?" Alec demanded. Magnus made a shushing noise.
"No swearing around Magnus Jr."
"Okay, first off, if we had a kid, we would not name him Magnus Jr. Second, when I said I wanted kids at some point, I didn't mean I wanted you to magic up a baby overnight!"
"Isn't that normally how people make babies?" Magnus asked innocently. Alec glared at him.
"I didn't mean that as an innuendo and you know it."
Magnus smirked. "Regardless, however, I've created this child, and he's ours. Literally half you and half me."
"So is he a warlock or a Shadowhunter?" Alec asked, curious in spite of himself. Magnus shrugged.
"I haven't the faintest idea," he replied. "Warlocks aren't able to have children. I'm honestly not sure how I managed to create this child. But he doesn't look to have a warlock's mark, so I don't think he is one. However, I'm not sure if he'll be a Shadowhunter either. And I don't really want him out there hunting demons. It's bad enough that you do it." Magnus had never kept it a secret how much he hated Alec constantly putting his life in danger. Alec had to admit, considering he and Magnus met each other right when Valentine returned, it probably would seem to him that being a Shadowhunter was more dangerous than it actually was. Not that it wasn't dangerous, but it normally wasn't as bad as it had been when Magnus and Alec first met. Valentine had died two years ago, however, and Alec thought that Magnus was worrying too much.
"I'm fairly certain he'll have the Sight, though," Magnus added. "As the child of a Shadowhunter and a warlock, it would be shocking if he didn't."
"What are we going to do with him?" Alec asked. Magnus frowned.
"What do you mean? He's our son!"
"You magicked him up out of no where last night," Alec countered. "Is he even real?"
"Of course he is!" Magnus retorted. "Don't listen to your silly daddy, Magnus Jr.," he murmured to the baby.
"His name is not Magnus Jr.," Alec argued. Magnus shot Alec a poisonous look.
"Well, considering you just asked if the baby's real or not, I don't think you get a say in the naming process."
"You're ridiculous," Alec muttered under his breath.
"I heard that," Magnus grumbled in response. Alec rolled his eyes.
"But honestly, what are we doing with the kid? Can you just get rid of him, or-"
"Alec," Magnus's voice was soft. "I…I didn't exactly do this on purpose."
"What do you mean?" Alec asked. Magnus shifted.
"Do you remember, a few days ago, when I went to visit some of the fae and do a job for them?"
"Yes."
"Well, they were having an argument and one of them cursed me when I chose the other one's side." Magnus shifted awkwardly. The baby reached up to grab at his hair. Magnus winced slightly as the baby tugged and he shifted the child to a different position. He looked at ease with the baby in his arms. Alec wondered if he had ever had to deal with children before.
"What does the curse have to do with a baby?" Alec asked. "I mean, they didn't…"
"No!" Magnus exclaimed, knowing what Alec was going to say before he said it. "No, they just messed with my magic. It's been acting up lately. So while I was watching you sleep, I thought about maybe making a baby with magic, and Magnus Jr.-"
"Not his name!" Alec interrupted. Magnus ignored him.
"-Turned up. The curse won't wear off for another day or so, and I don't think I can do anything about this situation until then."
"Great," Alec mumbled. "So we're stuck with a baby for a day."
"Normally, you're stuck with them for eighteen years, so I think we got off easy," Magnus replied. Alec glared at him. Magnus ignored it. "So what are we going to name this little guy, if not Magnus Jr.?"
"I don't know," Alec replied. In truth, he had first thought about names for his future son when he was much younger, and he had a long list of names that had been added to for years. And he had a favorite. But he wasn't going to tell Magnus that. "Should we really name him, if you're just going to magic him away tomorrow?"
"He needs a name," Magnus protested. "Either we come up with one or he's staying Magnus Jr."
"Fine. We can name him Julian." That was always Alec's favorite from his list of names. Magnus looked surprised. "It's a family name," Alec mumbled, a little embarrassed. "And the name of a saint." Alec didn't admit that he had wanted to name a baby boy Julian since he was seven years old.
"Julian. I like it." Magnus smiled. "Lightwood or Bane? Or that hyphenated thing?"
"Honestly, Magnus?" Alec demanded. "We're not keeping him, so what does it matter?" As if on cue, Julian began to cry. Magnus instantly started bouncing him, giving Alec a dirty look.
"Don't say such things in front of our child," he told Alec in a scolding tone. Alec threw his hands up with exasperation.
"Fine. But he's yours. You take care of him." Julian was still crying, getting progressively louder and louder. Magnus stood and started walking around the room with him, still shooting Alec sour looks.
"It's alright, Julian," he whispered soothingly. "Daddy's got you. It's alright."
Alec sighed. "I'll go make breakfast. You want anything?"
"Whatever you're making is fine," Magnus replied. Julian was starting to quiet down. Alec rolled his eyes and left the bedroom. He went to the kitchen and began to search through the cabinets. Ever since Alec moved in with Magnus, nearly two years ago, he had started learning how to cook. He didn't approve of Magnus stealing food from various nearby restaurants, so he had started buying food and cooking it himself. With time, Alec had become a passable cook. Magnus was just as good, if not better, but he couldn't be bothered most of the time. Alec didn't mind cooking, though, especially considering Magnus earned most of the money. Magnus bought the food, Alec prepared it. That was their normal trade off.
Alec was half tempted to make Magnus cook for himself, though, to make up for this ridiculous baby thing. But he knew that was unfair; it wasn't Magnus's fault that his magic was going haywire. But still, a baby? Really? It would have been one thing if Alec had woken up to an apartment full of flowers, or something else inanimate. But a child was a live, sentient being that had to be taken care of, something Alec had no idea how to do. He had been two when Isabelle was born and nine when Max was born. He had never dealt with babies in a serious way before. He hoped Magnus had more of an idea what he was doing.
"Alec, dear?" Magnus called. Alec looked up from the refrigerator. Magnus had Julian on his hip and he was bouncing him slightly. "We wouldn't happen to have a baby bottle anywhere, now would we?"
Alec gave Magnus a slightly incredulous look, wondering if he was kidding. He looked completely serious about it. "Um, no, I don't think so," Alec replied. Magnus sighed.
"Damn. I would summon one, but with this curse, I'm not sure I want to know what would happen. I suppose I'll have to go to a store and buy one. How boringly mundane."
"Do you want me to come with you?" The words spilled out of Alec's mouth before he was fully aware of them. Magnus beamed at him.
"Would you?" he asked, looking far too pleased for this not to be an attempt at manipulation. "I could use a hand." Now that Alec had offered, he couldn't exactly go back on it, so he shrugged. How bad could it be?
"Yeah, I'll come with you. We should get dressed first, though," Alec suggested. Magnus looked down at his clothes. He was wearing a kimono-style bathrobe over a pair of lime-green silk pajama pants. Alec was wearing old, gray sweatpants and a ratty black t-shirt.
"Yes, I suppose we should get dressed," Magnus replied. "You go first." Alec ran into their bedroom and grabbed an easy outfit: a pair of jeans and one of his black sweaters. Magnus had bought him many more clothes, but he still mostly stuck to his normal outfit. It took less than five minutes to get completely ready, then Alec went back out. Magnus was rocking Julian in his arms, seemingly fending off tears. Alec shook his head and backed away when Magnus held him out.
"No way. I'm not dealing with him! He's your problem!"
"I can't entertain him and get dressed at the same time!" Magnus protested. "I'll be quick, I promise." Alec somehow doubted that, but Magnus did have a point that he couldn't get dressed and entertain a fussy baby at the same time.
"Fine. But you have to actually be fast. Ten minutes."
"Twenty?" Magnus wheedled, handing Julian over.
"Fifteen, and that's it," Alec replied. Magnus sighed.
"I suppose I can make do." He entered the bedroom, leaving Alec alone with Julian. The baby was looking at Alec with big blue eyes, so like Alec's own, set in tanned skin that looked a lot more like Magnus's. He looked like one wrong move would bring on a tantrum that Alec really, really didn't want to deal with. Cautiously, not entirely sure what he was doing, Alec bounced Julian up and down a little. The baby looked at him strangely, but at least he didn't cry. Taking that as encouragement, Alec bounced him again. Julian stared at Alec as if he were some sort of strange creature.
"What?" Alec demanded. "That's what you do with babies, isn't it?" In response, Julian pulled Alec's hair. "Ow!" Julian looked at Alec with wide, teary eyes. "Shit," Alec muttered, panicking. "Um...don't cry!" He bounced Julian again. "Look, I'm bouncing you. Don't cry!" It didn't seem to be working. "Magnus, he's gonna cry! What do I do!"
"Rock him," Magnus called back. "And sound comforting."
"Okay," Alec muttered to himself. "Rock him and sound comforting. I can do that." Carefully, he moved Julian in his arms until he was in a better position to be rocked back and forth. He gently did so. "See?" he asked in what he hoped was a comforting tone. "I'm rocking you. This is good, right?" Julian's lower lip was still trembling dangerously. "Magnus, I don't think it's working!" Alec yelled.
"You can't deal with him for fifteen minutes?" Magnus called back. "I think I'm starting to see why you weren't sure about wanting a kid."
"Magnus! Not helping!" Alec yelled back. "Can you just tell me what to do!"
"Play a game! Make faces! I'll be out in a minute."
Alec regarded Julian warily. "Um...should we play peekaboo?" he asked. Julian's only answer was to stare at Alec with wide eyes. "Um..." Alec covered his face with the hand that wasn't holding Julian up. Then he pulled his hand away and, in a rather uncertain voice, called out, "Peekaboo!"
Julian didn't cry, but he didn't do anything else either. He just stared. Alec supposed it could have been worse. He tried again, covering his face. "Peekaboo!" Was he mistaken, or was that a hint of a smile on Julian's face? He was about to cover his face again in hopes of pulling out a real smile when he realized how ridiculous that was. There was no point in getting attached to Julian. They weren't keeping him, after all. They couldn't keep him. Alec was a Shadowhunter and Magnus was the High Warlock of Brooklyn. They were both busy jobs and not ones that led to raising a child. Alec was certain he could get time off if he asked, but he didn't want to ask. Anyway, how could he explain it to his family? "Oh yeah, Magnus decided he wanted a baby, so he created one with magic because a faerie curse made him lose control over his magic. The baby's name is Julian." That wouldn't work, especially not on Robert, who was still holding out hope that Alec wasn't truly gay and this was just a phase. (Alec had been dating Magnus for over two years and he had known he was gay since he was fourteen. It wasn't a phase.)
"Alright!" Magnus swept into the room, dressed in tight jeans and a bright yellow top. His hair was spiked, with the usual heaping amounts of glitter. "I'll take Julian. Seems like you managed to keep him from having a tantrum." Alec gratefully handed the baby back to Magnus. Instantly, Julian snuggled up against his chest, quiet and content. Alec refused to be jealous of Magnus's ability to handle a small child they weren't even going to keep.
"Shall we go?" Magnus asked. Alec nodded and grabbed his wallet off the table. They stepped out of the apartment and down the stairs. "Should you put on a bit of a glamour so no one can see your Marks?" Magnus asked Alec. Alec shrugged.
"I can just say they're tattoos," he replied. Magnus grinned wickedly.
"Tattoos are very sexy," he informed Alec in a matter-of-fact voice. Alec's face went pink. Even after two years with Magnus, he still blushed at remarks like that. Magnus cackled, as he always did at Alec's reactions to lewd remarks.
"You'd think you'd be used to those types of comments," Magnus mused as he stepped outside.
"I don't think I'll ever be used to them," Alec replied. Magnus laughed.
"We can try."
The walk to the store was uneventful. Julian was good as long as Magnus cradled him just the right way, and Magnus seemed to be great at that, thank God. Alec was very thankful for Magnus's apparent skill. He wondered if it was because Magnus had magicked up Julian in the first place. That would make sense, Alec supposed.
"You're rather quiet," Magnus commented. "You're not still mad about Julian, are you?"
"No," Alec replied. He wasn't mad, per say. A bit annoyed, yes. Ready for Magnus's magic to return to normal so he could magic the baby away, yes. But mad at Magnus? No. It wasn't his fault.
"Are you worried about something?" Magnus asked. Alec shook his head.
"Just thinking," he replied. Magnus looked like he was going to say something else, but Julian grabbed a chunk of his spiked hair and pulled. Magnus winced and gently wrestled the lock of hair away from the baby. "He really likes your hair," Alec added. Magnus grinned.
"It's fabulous. You know that. Even Julian can see how wonderful if is." Alec rolled his eyes.
"I suppose he is genetically half you," he replied. "I wonder who he'll get his fashion sense from, me or you."
"Alec, darling, I thought you didn't want to keep him," Magnus replied cautiously. Alec realized what he had said and how it sounded.
"I don't! I'm just…curious." Magnus raised an eyebrow. "It's true!" Alec protested. And it was. He didn't want the kid. Yeah, Julian was cute, but he was a baby that Alec and Magnus couldn't deal with. They didn't have a choice but to get rid of him.
"We could keep him," Magnus offered shyly. Alec shook his head.
"It won't work."
"Yes, it could," Magnus protested. "You could babysit him if I have to go out, and I could change my hours so I could watch him at night when you were out hunting with the others."
"Magnus…"
"Fine." Alec knew the discussion was far from over, but at least Magnus had stopped pushing it. For the moment. Julian had burrowed his face into Magnus's shirt and Alec had to fight to keep from smiling at it. It would do no good to get attached to the baby. No matter how adorable he was, they couldn't keep him.
"Should we at least let the others meet him before I magic him away?" Magnus asked a moment later. Alec shook his head.
"No. That'll just make it harder."
"Alec, we can make this work if we want to," Magnus protested. Alec ignored him. He couldn't do it. Having a kid wasn't an option.
"Would it really be that terrible?" Magnus asked in a small voice. "Raising a kid with me?"
"Magnus..." Alec knew where this was going; Magnus was trying to make him feel guilty. It wouldn't work. "It wouldn't be terrible, but it also wouldn't be feasible. You're a High Warlock, I'm a Shadowhunter. We can't raise a baby."
"It does sound like the plot of a sitcom," Magnus admitted. Alec rolled his eyes.
"So do you see why it won't work?"
"No, but if you're really so convinced, I'll drop it. For now." Alec sighed, but he knew he had to be content with that.
They arrived at the store soon after that and the shopping went without a hitch. Alec wondered if Magnus had put a spell on Julian to make him behave, but then he remembered that Magnus couldn't do magic until the fae spell wore off. At least, that had better be the case. If Magnus had been lying, Alec would kill him.
Before too long, they had returned to Magnus's apartment and Magnus was making a bottle for Julian. Alec went back to making breakfast. He figured he probably should have figured out what to eat before they went to the store, considering there wasn't much in the fridge. But there was enough for cereal, so that's what Alec got out.
"Thanks, love," Magnus told him as he accepted the bowl. He was feeding Julian his bottle. The baby was staring at Magnus with his wide, blue eyes. The wide, blue eyes that looked just like Alec's eyes. It was fairly obvious to tell this child was Magnus and Alec's, if you looked at him. He had Magnus's Asian features, Alec's blue eyes, and the black hair they both shared.
"Damn it," Alec muttered. Looking at Julian, it was much harder to remember why they couldn't keep him, why it wouldn't work. He was cute, Alec had to admit it. But they couldn't keep him. Even if he was clearly theirs and possibly the most adorable baby Alec had ever seen.
Damn it. This wasn't making this easier.
"Do you want to feed him?" Magnus asked, noticing that Alec was staring at Julian.
"No," Alec replied automatically. Magnus shrugged.
"Okay." He continued to feed Julian with his right hand while he ate with his left. It didn't look easy. Alec finished far before Magnus, who was still struggling to juggle a baby, a bottle, and a spoon.
"Give him to me," Alec finally said, holding his arms out. "I'll finish feeding him while you eat."
"Oh, would you?" Magnus asked, sounding relieved. "Trying to eat while feeding him is a pain in the ass."
"Sure." Alec gingerly took Julian and cradled him in his arms. He took the bottle and stuffed it in Julian's mouth.
"No, not like that," Magnus scolded. "Gently." Alec put the bottle in Julian's mouth more carefully. "Much better."
"Just eat and stop complaining," Alec retorted, but there was no venom in his words. Magnus rolled his eyes and began to eat his cereal. Alec watched Julian carefully, amazed at how quickly the level of formula in the bottle dropped.
"He's done," Alec told Magnus a moment later. Magnus grabbed a towel and draped it over Alec's shoulder.
"Burp him," he instructed. Alec frowned.
"Is that the thing where you smack the baby on the back?" he asked. Magnus rolled his eyes.
"Do it gently," he commanded. "But yes, that is the general idea."
"What's with the towel?" Alec asked. Magnus waved a dismissive hand.
"Merely a precaution. Don't worry about it." Not entirely convinced, Alec gingerly started to burp Julian. "Oh come on, more than that!" Magnus scolded. Alec patted Julian's back a bit harder. "Much better."
"When will he burp?" Alec asked. As if in response, Julian burped. Magnus giggled as Alec stared at the baby. "Will he do it again?"
"Maybe," Magnus replied. "Burp him a little more." Alec did as Magnus said. Julian burped again.
"He's probably good now," Magnus told Alec. "And I'm done. Want to give him back?"
"Okay." Alec passed Magnus the baby again. Magnus looked much more natural holding a baby than Alec felt. He looked like he was supposed to hold a baby. Alec hated the thought that he would have to make Magnus give Julian up, but taking care of a baby wouldn't work, right?
Right?
"Alec?" Magnus asked. Alec jumped.
"Yeah? What?"
"Weren't we supposed to meet up with the others at the Institute at noon?"
"Shit!" Alec checked the clock. It was a little past ten, but they needed to leave within the hour. However, that wouldn't be as easy as it normally was.
"What should we do with Julian?" Magnus asked. Alec sighed.
"Um, I doubt you have anyone that can watch him?" he asked. Magnus raised an eyebrow.
"There's a werewolf I know that owes me a debt, but he can be a little...violent."
"No way," Alec declared immediately. "But we can't bring Julian with us."
"Why not?" Magnus protested. Alec sighed.
"I've told you, Magnus. We can't raise a kid. And it'll just make it worse if we bring him with us. It'll make it harder to let him go." To Alec's horror, Magnus's eyes filled with tears.
"I don't want to let him go!" he protested. "This is our child, Alec! I want him!"
"Magnus…"
"Why are you so insistent that we can't keep him? We can if we try. You just don't care."
"Magnus…" Alec protested again. Magnus shook his head wildly, tears dripping from his eyes.
"No! I want to keep Julian. He's alive, Alec. Look at him. He's living and breathing and thinking and everything. Getting rid of him would be murder."
Alec jerked backwards. His mouth dropped open in shock. He hadn't thought of it that way. Magnus shoved Julian at him.
"Look at him! He's alive! He's a human being! We're not going to abandon him!" In tears that were edging towards hysterical, Magnus left Alec holding Julian as he went into the bedroom.
"Magnus!" Alec protested. Magnus ignored him, slamming the door. The sound made Julian jump. He stared at Alec for a moment, then his little face scrunched up and he started crying. "Shit," Alec muttered. He tried bouncing Julian to no avail. "Julian, stop crying," he ordered. That only made Julian cry more. "Magnus!" Alec called, but there was no response. He hadn't really expected one.
"Do you want me to sing you a song?" Alec asked. Julian whimpered. Taking that as a yes, Alec started singing a French lullaby his mother had sung to him when he was young. Slowly, Julian stopped crying. Alec kept singing, terrified that Julian would burst into tears again if he stopped. Finally, after Alec sang the song through three times, Julian drifted off into sleep. His face smoothed out as Alec rocked him gently, hoping he wouldn't wake back up. He didn't.
"Thank the Angel," Alec whispered. Still rocking Julian slightly with one arm, Alec knocked on the bedroom door.
"Go away," came the muffled response. Alec sighed.
"Magnus, can we talk?"
"I think we've said everything we need to say," Magnus replied stiffly. At least his voice was coming from closer to the door. Alec sat down and leaned against the door, still cradling Julian.
"I don't think we have," Alec replied. "Neither of us have explained our side very well. Tell me why you want to keep Julian, and then I'll tell you why I think we can't."
"No interrupting," Magnus added. Alec nodded, even though Magnus couldn't see it.
"No interrupting," he agreed.
"So I'm going first?" Magnus asked. Alec hummed in agreement. Magnus sighed. "I want a kid," he started. "I always have. But warlocks can't have kids. I accepted that a long time ago, but then my friend Tessa, who's sort of a warlock herself, had kids and I wanted them again." Alec had about a thousand questions, but they had agreed that there would be no interrupting, so he kept them to himself. He'd ask later. "And then I met you, and you'd be such a great dad, Alec. I know you would." Alec had something to say about that as well, but again, he saved it for later. "And I normally wouldn't have done this without asking you, but this isn't a mistake. It's a miracle. It's unexpected, yeah, but it's not unwanted. Julian isn't unwanted. I don't know if I could even get rid of him with magic, and I won't do it anyway. My parents didn't want me, and I won't put any child through that." The words struck Alec like a punch to the gut. "Your turn," Magnus said softly. Alec scrambled for words, because how was he supposed to respond to that?
"It's not that I don't want him," Alec finally said. "It's that I don't think I'll be a good father. My own father is...not a good father, and if I have kids I'll end up like him and I don't want to put any kid through that and-" Alec cut himself off and took a deep breath. "You'd be a great dad, Magnus, but I've already proven that I shouldn't be in charge of little kids when I let Max die and I've never been good at being the father figure for Jace or Izzy and I don't want to put any kid through that. I'd be a terrible father, Magnus, and Julian deserves better than that." Alec didn't even realize his voice was breaking and he sounded close to tears until Magnus opened the door and hugged him tightly.
"You'll be a wonderful father," he whispered firmly.
"But I don't even know what to do with a baby!" Alec protested. Magnus gestured at Julian, still asleep in Alec's arms.
"You seem to be doing alright."
"Magnus," Alec whispered, begging. "What if I end up like my father?"
"You won't," Magnus replied firmly. "I won't let you. You'll be a great father, Alec."
Still clutching Julian to his chest, with Magnus's arms around him, Alec began to cry.
Magnus, Alec, and Julian arrived at the Institute right as the clock struck noon. They slipped inside and down the halls, going to the library, where their informal meeting would take place. It was a weekly thing, where they would all meet up and discuss the week, considering Alec lived with Magnus, Clary lived with Jocelyn and Luke, and Isabelle spent the night with Simon more often than not. Robert was not often at the meetings, as he spent more of his time in Idris than New York. This time was no different in that respect. No, the thing that made this meeting different was the bundle in Alec's arms.
"About time," Jace called as Alec and Magnus entered the room. He was draped across a couch, his head in Clary's lap. Isabelle was sitting on the floor, filing her nails. Maryse was sitting at the desk, looking more casual than normal. "What took you two so long?"
As if in response, Julian let out a pleased gurgle. Jace stiffened. "What's that?"
"This is Julian," Alec replied. Jace nodded faintly.
"Is Julian the child of a friend?" Maryse asked. "Someone you owe a favor?"
"Um, no," Alec replied. He shot Magnus a pleading look. He didn't want to be the one to say it. Magnus nodded slightly, clearly recognizing the request.
"Julian is ours." There was a long silence.
"I'm not even surprised anymore," Clary finally sighed. "Congrats, you two."
"But how?" Jace demanded. "Unless there's been some sort of development that I missed, neither of you can have children."
"Magic can do wonders," Magnus drawled. Jace's eyes went wide and he made a choked noise. Alec sighed.
"We didn't bear the kid. Calm down, Jace. Magnus used magic to conjure Julian up. Accidentally."
"How do you accidentally conjure a baby?" Isabelle asked. "Also, can I hold him?"
"Uh, sure," Alec replied, passing the baby over go his sister, who immediately began cooing.
"Some fae cursed me a few days ago," Magnus added, answering Isabelle's other question. "My magic's been going haywire ever since. I was thinking about how much I wanted a kid and how wonderful a father Alec would be, and voila! Julian popped into my arms."
"Wow. I stand by what I said before: congrats, you two!" Clary replied. Alec blushed slightly. Isabelle was still cooing at Julian, tickling his chin. He was giggling in response. Isabelle looked thrilled.
"As weird as this is, I'm happy for you," she told Alec and Magnus. Jace nodded.
"Yeah, definitely weird, but if you two are happy, so am I."
Alec turned to his mother, the only person who hadn't yet spoken. She looked slightly pale, her eyes wide. "Mom?" Alec asked, his heart clenching and stomach twisting.
"Can I see the baby?" she asked softly. Isabelle handed Julian to Alec without an argument, and he brought the baby over to Maryse. She held him for a moment.
"He has our eyes," she whispered. Alec nodded. "His name is Julian, correct?" she asked. Alec nodded again. Maryse's face slowly broke into a smile.
"My first grandson," she said softly, and Alec knew Julian had been accepted.
He was so glad Magnus's magic had gone wild, so glad he hadn't managed to talk Magnus into getting rid of Julian, so glad they had brought him to the meeting. With him, their little family was complete.
(At least, unless Magnus got cursed by fae again and conjured up another kid. Alec would prefer not to let that happen out of the blue next time, but if it did, who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth?)