Prologue:

Unconditional love… when Max died three years ago, Alec told his parents that he wanted to be a paramedic instead of taking over his father's law firm. Robert and Maryse had said that as long as he was happy, he could be or do anything he wanted. They always told their children that being happy was all that mattered in the end. They told them that they could do what they wanted as long as it wasn't illegal, that they could be their own person, and that they could love whomever they chose to love, and Robert and Maryse would love them no matter what. They said they loved all of their children unconditionally and that would never change.

'Well that was a bunch of bullshit!' Alec thought as he drove through the streets of New York. Today was a day full of unexpected surprises for Alec. He'd had lunch with his parents to discuss college since the first semester of his freshman year was in full swing, and Alec had thought that since his siblings weren't home, he could discuss the real reason for requesting the lunch date. Alec finally decided to open up to Robert and Maryse about his sexuality. He wasn't ashamed of who he was, he just kept it private because he hadn't met anyone yet. He figured that after he'd started college at the end of the summer, he'd maybe meet someone, and he didn't want it to be a shock to everyone when he decided to bring this potential, and perhaps unconventional, partner home to meet his family for the first time. Alec had finally told his parents that he was gay, and what did they do? Well, they disowned him and kicked him out of the house. They took away his cell phone, laptop, and his inheritance and told him that he was a disgrace to the Lightwood name. The only things Alec had with him were his clothes and his car. Robert and Maryse were at least decent enough to let him have his baby; a black, 2016 Camaro. He parked the car in the college parking lot. At least he was still able to continue college since his tuition was covered by academic scholarships. Now he just needed to find a job along with a place to live. Alec knew it was going to be hard juggling a full time job, as well as maintaining his GPA to keep his scholarship, but it was the price Alec had to pay in order for him to be who he was.

Walking into his English class, Alec automatically spotted his friend Clary sitting in her usual seat. It was never hard to find his petite friend, despite her small stature. She had flaming red, curly, waist length hair, emerald green eyes, and flawless porcelain skin. Clary was absolutely beautiful. If Alec wasn't gay, he would probably have dated her. Alec and Clary had become pretty close during this class; she was the first person he'd met at the school and whenever they were there, they were attached at the hip. Clary was studying to become a Nurse Practitioner so they knew they were going to have a lot of classes together, starting off, at least. In order for Clary to become an NP, she'd basically have to get her doctorate. Alec once asked her why she didn't just go to medical school and her answer seemed simple enough. Her parents were both doctors. Her father was a general surgeon, and her mother was a NICU doctor.

Her brother had just been accepted to Harvard Medical School, to follow in their father's footsteps, but every time Clary watched her parents work, she realized that they both seemed to lack the sense of bedside etiquette that the nursing staff had. When she explained to her parents that she wanted to be a nurse so she could focus more on the patient care, her parents hadn't seemed to mind. From what Clary told him, Alec understood that they both cared deeply about their nurses and said that the medical field needed more people like Clary. Alec had always been very proud of what his friend wished to achieve. Nurses tended to get the short end of the stick when it came to their careers, which mostly had to do with the way the doctors treat their staff, the way the patients treat the nurses, and even the attitudes of the family members of the patients. It truly took a person with a pure heart in order to be, and succeed, in the nursing field. Clary was definitely that person.

Alec sat down next to Clary and gave her a small smile. She gave him a questioning look in return, but Alec just shook his head and mouthed, 'I'll tell you later'. Clary just nodded and faced forward when the professor walked in. They sat through the lecture trying to keep themselves awake; before long Clary was doodling in her notebook while Alec was spacing out. Alec wasn't paying attention to his professor giving a lecture about material that he would probably never use again. He just couldn't get the words that his parents had said to him out of his head.

'No son of ours is gay, Alexander. We can back you up on your career choices, or anything else you want to do in your life, but a Lightwood is to have a heterosexual relationship. A Lightwood is to have children and carry on the family name. If you can't do that, then you have no place in this family.' Those words were the last thing he'd expected to hear coming from his parents. 'If you can't follow our guidelines, then you can live your life on your own. Give us your credit cards, your phone, and go ahead and pack all of your clothes. As long as you think you're gay, you have no place in this house.' Those were the words of his mother. It wasn't a matter of Alec thinking he was gay; he was completely certain that was what he was. He'd known for a very long time, but he just hadn't been comfortable enough with himself to express his interest in other men. But as of today, he was done living a lie, he just wanted to be himself and be free of living as something, as someone, he wasn't. Alec planned on asking Clary if they were still short staffed at the coffee shop she worked at. He knew they'd needed help a few weeks ago, he just wasn't sure if the spot had been filled or not.

Clary elbowed Alec in his side to gain his attention. 'Damn that girl has some boney elbows!' Alec thought to himself as he rubbed his side.

"Class is over, let's go." Clary said as she helped him pack his bag. They walked out of class in comfortable silence as Clary led them over to a bench. "Okay babe, something is clearly off with you today. Spill." Clary demanded as they sat down.

Alec sighed, "Okay so you know I was having lunch with my parents today, right?" When Clary nodded, he continued, "Well, we were discussing school since the semesters halfway over, soon I'll only have a year and a half left before I can get my certs and become a paramedic. Well, we were discussing a game plan and once we were finished, I told them that I was gay. Since they'd always supported me with every other decision I've ever made, I thought they would support me with my own sexuality." Alec took a deep breath and continued. "Clary, my parents cut me off financially so I was wondering if Java Jones was still hiring. I need a fulltime job." Alec finished while looking down at his hands. He hated feeling so vulnerable but he really needed this job. He looked up at Clary and she was smiling.

"Yes we're still hiring, I can talk to Steve for you. I'll give him your number so he can schedule an interview, if you'd like." She was looking at him with those piercing green eyes and Alec felt like she was looking into his soul. He hated that she could make him feel that way, but at the same time he loved that about her. Alec hated keeping secrets from Clary, but he didn't want to tell her that he no longer had a means of communication, much less was homeless. He decided right then and there that he was only going to give as little information to his friend as possible.

"Well, my parents took my phone when they cut me off. As soon as I get the money, I was going to buy myself a new one," Alec stated, feeling guilty about everything else he was leaving out of this conversation. He was not going to out right lie to Clary, but he was going to omit anything that he could get away with not telling her.

"No worries, where did you park? You can just take me to work and as soon as I'm on duty, I can have Steve come out and talk to you. No big deal," Clary said cheerfully. During his little speech, Alec could tell that Clary was getting pissed. Her face tended to get so red that it rivalled her hair color when she was mad. Alec was just glad that the girl had enough decency to not ask questions. They'd been friends long enough by now to know when she should and shouldn't ask questions or blow up. He was grateful for that; he just really didn't want to tell her anything else right now.

Alec laughed, "Yes Clare, I can take you to work…just admit it, that's the only reason you suggested me coming along to meet your boss." Alec stated with a smile on his face. Clary just batted her eyelashes and gave him the cutest little blush he'd ever seen from the girl. Alec laughed again as they got up and headed to his car. That was probably the first time he'd smiled since leaving his parents' house.

They arrived at Java Jones, or as Clary called it, JJ's, about fifteen minutes later. Clary told Alec to sit in the corner booth while she would go talk to Steve. She handed him an application to fill out while he waited. Alec reviewed the application in front of him, 'Work History: None; Professional References: Clary; Extracurriculars: Archery-10 years, Mixed Martial Arts-14 years; Achievements or Awards: National Honor's Society-Junior and Senior Year of High School, First Place Archery Champion 7 years in a row, First Place National Mixed Martial Arts Division 3 years running. Alec knew that was not necessarily what they may be looking for in an applicant, but given the fact that he didn't have any work experience to note, he decided to give some form of achievement to show that he did have dedication. He desperately needed this job and he was going to go to any length to show that he would be dedicated to the job for as long as he would be able to do so. When it came to the section that asked for his address, Alec froze. He had no idea what to put down, it was not like he had anywhere to live right now, hence the job…well now he was fucked! Alec thought frantically, where the hell could he come up with an address? At that moment, Clary and who he assumed to be Steve, walked out of the back room. Alec silently thanked every deity out there that they came. Maybe if Steve started talking to Alec, he could hand him the unfinished application and he wouldn't even notice.

Steve walked over to Alec and introduced himself. "So Alec, Clary tells me that you're looking for a job?" Steve said as he sized Alec up.

Alec visibly swallowed, "Yes sir, I just recently had a falling out with my family and I'm officially on my own, sir." Alec responded hesitantly. At this point, Alec felt like he was sweating buckets. He'd never been on a job interview before, therefore, he had no idea what was appropriate to say or not. Steve gave Alec an apologetic look and asked him to continue. "I came out to my parents today and they cut me off." Alec mumbled as he fidgeted with a loose strand of his sweater.

"Ah, I see. Well, Alec, do you have any work experience?" Steve asked as he was looking over that section of the application Alec had filled out.

"No sir, but I am a dedicated person, no matter what I do, I try to do everything to the best of my potential." Alec responded nervously.

Steve nodded and continued. "Clary speaks very highly of you, Alec, and I value her opinion so I'm willing to give you a chance." He said with a smile. Alec looked up in shock at that moment.

"Thank you so much for the opportunity, Steve, I promise you won't regret it!" Alec said enthusiastically. At this point he was floating on cloud nine, thinking that maybe being out on his own wouldn't be so bad. Alec got up and shook Steve's hand.

"Now let's talk pay and hours shall we?" Alec sat back down and nodded. "I'm looking for someone who can work full time, right now Clary and I are the only full time employees here, but we need another full timer to be able to open or close the store when Clary and I can't be here. I know you're in school with Clary so I need to know your school schedule so I can work around it. I also want to make sure you will be able to handle working full time without your grades suffering. I'm also willing to pay you thirteen dollars an hour while you're training. It usually takes about two weeks to fully train someone, then I can bump you up to fifteen dollars an hour once you've completed your training. Does that sound fair to you?" Steve asked.

"Absolutely sir! I'm willing to do whatever it takes." Alec responded with a grin.

"Great! Are you available this evening? I have Clary here until seven o'clock tonight and I'd love for you to start training as soon as possible if you're able to?" Alec slightly panicked but ultimately knew that if Clary was with him, he'd be fine.

"I'm free for the rest of the day, sir. And I can go ahead and give you my school schedule now if you need it." Steve smiled and had Alec follow him to the back room to get everything for the hiring process completed. Alec glanced over at Clary who was clearly eavesdropping, and gave her a thumbs up. She fist pounded in the air and mouthed 'Good Job' to him.

After the long, tedious task of filling out tax forms and other paperwork, Alec was finally able to start his shift. Clary taught him all of the different ways to prepare cappuccinos, lattes, and other various forms of coffee. She told him that he was a very fast learner, which he took pride in considering he couldn't afford to not have this job. Next, she took him to the kitchen and showed him all of the recipes for the different cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and other pastries they made fresh every morning. He would learn how to actually make those at the ass crack of dawn tomorrow morning. He wasn't aware that he would have to be there at three o'clock in the morning to start baking. It was a good thing that he and Clary weren't closing the store that night. He would have been lucky to get about an hour long nap if that were the case. The rest of the shift consisted of Alec learning the register, keeping the tables and floors clean during slow periods, and also washing dishes as needed.

"Wow dude, you keep this up and there won't be very much for Steve to do when we close," Clary said with a giggle. Alec looked up from the soapy dish water and just smiled and shrugged.

"Hey I'm just trying to keep myself busy in between customers little miss all-knowing Yoda," Alec responded. Once Alec was finished with the few dishes that were in the sink, he took note of the various items that needed restocking and took off to the supply closet to retrieve them. Once he was finished, Steve came out of his office to relieve Clary and Alec.

"So Clary, how did our boy here do on his first day?" Steve asked with an amused grin. He knew exactly how well Alec was doing. Clary had already given him a progress report while Alec was in the supply room.

"Steve, I hate to say this, but I don't think my dear friend Alexander here is going to work out…he keeps putting me to shame!" Clary exclaimed overdramatically. Alec just looked at her and shook his head with laughter. The duo walked out of JJ's and Alec nudged Clary, causing her to nearly fall. Alec couldn't help but laugh at the small redhead.

"That's what you get, punk!" Alec exclaimed as they walked towards his pride and joy.

"Hey! It's not my fault that you were in there trying to take my job away!" Clary explained as she stuck out her tongue, like the adult that she was not.

"Do you need a ride home, Clary? I noticed that you didn't drive yourself to school today. Usually I see your car in the lot." Alec asked. He still didn't want to tell her that he didn't have a place to sleep.

"Nah, I'm going to take a cab home. My dad had to take my car to have a tune up done to it. I may ask for a ride tomorrow if you wouldn't mind, though." With that, Alec hugged his friend and got into his car. He didn't know where to go for the night so he just pulled his car to the back of the store, set the alarm on his watch, and laid the seat down for him to try and go to sleep.

Alec woke up with a start. At first, he was a little disoriented, but quickly remembered that he was sleeping in his car. He sat his seat up, and looked for the person who was banging on his window. He looked up to see a very angry Clary standing outside of his car.

"Get your ass out of that car and explain to me what in the actual fuck you're doing. NOW!" Alec held up a finger for Clary to wait a minute, grabbed a change of clothes, and then stepped out of the car. "Get your ass inside and explain," Clary said while she was holding the back door of the store open with an impatient expression marring her face. Alec walked in and sighed. 'I guess I can't keep this secret any longer.'

"Okay, Clary, look, when I told you my parents cut me off, they cut me off of everything. I have no inheritance, no money to my name, no cell phone, and most importantly, nowhere to live. They told me that 'as long as I think I'm gay', there is no room for me to be in their family." Alec felt all of his emotions building up while he was rehashing this conversation with his parents.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Alec snapped his head up, and Clary spoke softer, "Alec, why didn't you tell me? Babe, I have a spare room, you're coming home with me and you aren't leaving until you want to, stay as long as you like. It's pretty lonely now that Jon has left for Harvard. But promise me something, okay? Never withhold something like that again. You're one of my closest friends, and if I can help you in any way, you know that I will." Clary stated with her wide emerald eyes. Alec nodded his head and pulled her into a hug.