Magnus Bane's Apartment, Brooklyn, NY, 1998
"Come on Lizzie, you can do this!" High Warlock of Brooklyn, Magnus Bane, encouraged his sister, Elizabeth, who was now giving birth to her first child. Of course, nine months ago, both warlocks thought it was impossible for her to get pregnant.
"Warlocks are sterile, Lizzie, you know this." Magnus had always said when she mentioned it one morning, waving his hand as if it was nothing. Elizabeth didn't believe him, of course. All the signs were there: nausea, morning sickness, backaches, headaches, sore breast, and cravings. Just to get her to shut up, Magnus had bought her a mundane pregnancy test. He didn't actually think the stupid thing would come out positive. At first he thought she was playing some cruel joke, just to see how he'd react, but when the tears came, he knew she wasn't faking. He simply wrapped his arms around his twin, telling her that everything was going to be okay and that the child would be cared for in a loving home.
As the months went by, and the cravings for the weirdest of foods got more intense (pickles, salami, and French vanilla ice cream blended together?), Magnus helped care for Elizabeth, making sure that both the mother and child were as healthy as possible. But, when his sister went to bed (he doesn't know how she could fall asleep at five o' clock at night, when it was still light out!) he would look and search through all of his spell books, warlock history books, any book he can think of to see how it would be possible for a warlock to even conceive.
One night, at two in the morning, he came running down the hallway, dark circles under his eyes, his hair sticking in different directions, and his clothes not matching. He had explained to Elizabeth that the only way for a warlock baby to be born alive and healthy was for the mother to give all her powers and energy to said child during the birth.
"That's great Magnus!" Elizabeth was ecstatic, jumping up and down, her bulging belly brushing against his own. The High Warlock only frowned, telling his sister to have a seat and to let him explain the rest. He told her that there was a greater chance of her dying from giving all her energy and power to the baby than come out alive. Elizabeth sat there in the pink loveseat, petting the cat Magnus had 'adopted' a few weeks prior, her face expressionless.
"Lizzie, you know you don't have to. You can let it be a stillborn or terminate it now if you'd like." Magnus had said, kneeling in front of her. After eight hundred years of being attached to the hip, he couldn't bear the thought of losing his only family.
"No," Lizzie finally said. "I will not kill this living thing that has been kicking me for nine months for it only to come out as a stillborn! I've lived long enough Mags, and I want this baby. And like you said, I have a greater chance of dying than living. That still gives me a chance to live."
"And you want to take that chance? We could use magic-" Magnus started when his sister grabbed his hand, putting it on her belly.
"You tell me this isn't magical all by itself."
He felt it; the little kick under his palm. It kicked multiple times, moving his hand, rubbing against it as if it found comfort. He nearly cried.
"Magnus," Elizabeth said to her brother. "If anything happens to me, I want you to take care of him or her for me. Teach it how to use his or her magic, how to make potions, all the stuff I can't. Even if it's about fashion."
He just chuckled, rubbing her belly. "Hello there, I'm your Uncle Magnus. I can't wait to finally meet you and corrupt your little mind so you can annoy your mother." He laughed as his sister smacked him on the shoulder, grinning lightly. He continued to talk to the baby, still rubbing the unborn warlock, calming his niece or nephew until it fell asleep.
This brings us to the birth of his niece of nephew. It was a stubborn little thing, refusing to just pop out of his sister's lady parts. Lizzie was in labor for days, screaming in agony, begging for drugs like any mundane would. And Magnus would know; he's watched enough Baby Story to last his long lifetime.
When it came the time to finally push, he did the best to encourage and comfort her, since the father of the child obviously wasn't there like he should've been. Magnus spent most of these nine months wondering who the bastard was who knocked up his baby sister and just left the face of the earth. His sister wasn't known to have one nights stand like he was. In fact, she's rarely had any relationships, reminding him that they had eternity to find the "one." He would just roll his eyes, not saying anything to ruin that little fantasy of Lizzie's, making her think that she would never find love.
"Come on Lizzie, you can do this!" Magnus exclaimed, getting ready to catch whatever was about to come out like a catcher would in baseball.
"MAGNUS BANE I HATE YOU!" she hollered, gripping the white sheets in her fists.
"Shouldn't you be saying that to the man who got you pregnant, dear sister?" he joked, ducking as Elizabeth threw an alarm clock at him.
"Well he's obviously not here, so I'm just going to blame the entire male population!" With a final scream, Elizabeth gave one last push. As she listened, she could hear the crying of a newborn, alive and healthy, just like she wanted. She weakly smiled as her brother cleaned the baby, wrapping it in a white blanket.
"Want to hold your daughter?" he smiled at her. She nodded, opening her arms. The little girl fit perfectly in her arms, as if she was made for them. Elizabeth cried along with Magnus, who was taking pictures.
"She's beautiful, Lizzie," Magnus said a few hours later, holding the sleeping baby in his tan arms. Button nose, rosy cheeks, ten fingers, ten toes, a patch of blonde hair on her head, and long eyelashes to match. She still refused to open her eyes, that stubborn thing. "She gets it from our side of the family obviously."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes, still smiling even though she was too tired to stand. "What about Scarlett?"
Magnus couldn't take his eyes off of the tiny creature in front of him. "Huh?"
His sister rolled her eyes. "Her name? It's also my favorite color."
"Oh!" He whispered the name a few times, getting the feeling of it on his tongue. He smiled. "I love it."
The next few days went by smoothly, Lizzie healing perfectly. Magnus took care of Scarlett as his sister slept, yet he loved every minute of it. Elizabeth had caught him multiple times talking to Scarlett in a baby voice, though he denied it every time she acknowledged it.
"Mags?" she asked one day, feeding Scarlett her bottle. He answered with a grunt, a few pieces of his sandwich flying out of his mouth. "I need to tell you something about the father."
"Yeah, I've been wondering about that. Who is he?"
"He's, um, he's... well he's a Shadowhunter. A member of the Circle."
That's when all hell broke loose. Two days later, the Clave came busting down the door, accusing Elizabeth of seducing a fellow Shadowhunter. Luckily, they didn't know about Scarlett, who Magnus hid under the bed as she slept. Elizabeth screamed as the Clave took her away, reading her rights, saying she broke the law of the accords.
A week later, Elizabeth Bane was put to death for seducing a Shadowhunter and was accused of spying for Valentine in his attempts to take over.
Magnus stood in front of his sister's grave, holding Scarlett in his arms. For a week old baby, she was very observant, looking at everything with those cat-like eyes of hers, which were identical to her uncle's. Everyone that had known the Bane siblings were there. Ragnor Fell, a few other warlock companions, and even Camille Belcourt, one of Magnus's exes.
He thought back to when Lizzie told him who Scarlett's father was.
"He was handsome and sweet. He said he was a widower, saying that his wife killed herself while pregnant. We spoke for a few weeks, had a drink or two, and then what do you know? I'm in his bed, him telling me to get out while throwing me my clothes." Lizzie had explained, feeding her newborn.
Magnus shook his head, staring down at the limp bundle in his arms. She was asleep, thank God, but it made him feel worse. She looked just like her mother, and perhaps a little of her father considering she had blonde hair, which he or his sister did not have. Magnus Bane was known for throwing parties, dating multiple people (not at the same time), and had his own business. He didn't know the first thing about babies and what they needed. A warlock baby, yes, he would learn how to care for one of his own kind, but he had no idea how to care for a Nephilim.
"What am I going to do with you?" he asked the sleeping baby as he walked out of the cemetery. Then he got it.
-Line break-
"Warlock Bane? I didn't call you for any services yet." Jocelyn said, allowing Magnus inside her apartment. Her daughter Clarissa was watching some children's show in the small television a few feet away. He smiled sadly, thinking how big she was getting.
"I'm sorry to drop in on you like this Jocelyn, but I need some help." He started, showing her the bundle in his arms. He told her the story from how his late sister had gotten pregnant from a Shadowhunter to how she was arrested and killed for doing so. By the time he was done with his story, Jocelyn had tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Magnus. Elizabeth will be greatly missed. Would you like anything to drink? Tea, coffee, water?" she suggested, dying to change the subject.
"No thank you." Magnus smiled at her, taking a seat at the kitchen table.
"So, Magnus Bane, what did you need my help with?"
"This," he gestured to the now awake bundle in his arms. "is my niece. I, like every other warlock in Brooklyn, have no idea how to care for a baby and was wondering if you could help me."
Jocelyn smiled at him. "I would be happy to, with all the work you do for me. I'll make a list of what you need. Just because she's a warlock doesn't mean she can go without food and care."
As Jocelyn wrote down a list of things Magnus would need to care for a baby, two year old Clary came stumbling into the kitchen, clutching a teddy bear in her right arm, using her right handed thumb to suck on.
"Mommy?" she asked, staring at Magnus.
"Yes dear?"
"Who is this gwittery man sitting in the chair?" Magnus chuckled a little, shifting the baby so his arms wouldn't fall asleep.
"This is Magnus, a family friend, and his niece." Clary's mothers explained. Clary looked closer at the small baby in the glittery man's arms. "Niece," as her mother called the baby, looked just like the ones she would usually carry around the house, pretending they were her own children.
"She's cute. Can I hold her?" the two-year old asked.
"Maybe later Clary, she's sleeping. Is that alright?" Jocelyn smiled at her daughter. Clary just gave a grin.
"I'll remember that later mommy!" she squealed, running back to the living room to watch her television show. Magnus gave a small smile, looking down to see his niece away, looking at the bright colored paintings on the walls. He stroked her cheek, her green and yellow eyes turning towards him. Squealing laughter filled the room as the tiny warlock grabbed onto her uncle's glitter less hair.
"By the Angel, she's adorable!" Jocelyn smiled. "What is her name?"
Magnus's small smile turned into a grin. "Scarlett Elizabeth Bane."
-Line break-
Magnus groaned as he put a pillow over his head, trying to block out the crying that seemed to echo through the apartment. He hadn't even put her to bed an hour ago and she's still crying! With a heavy sigh, he flung the blankets off of him, sat up, puts on his slippers and his purple silk robe, and sleepily walked like a zombie to the nursery.
The nursery was a simple yellow, with photos of Scarlett and her late mother in frames on the walls and above her crib. Scarlett's name was spelled out in bright green, wooden letters by the window and a pile of toys in the corner.
"Hey, hey pretty girl," Magnus picked the crying baby up (God she had a pair of lungs on her for a month old baby), her head immediately flopping onto his shoulder as she curled up into her bare chest. "What's the matter?" he asked as he saw the fat tears streaming down her red, scrunched up face.
He gently rubbed her back as he sat down in a wooden rocking chair Tessa had given him. Using his feet, he began to rock back and forth, rubbing the baby's back, and started to sing her a song in Indonesian that Elizabeth used to sing to him.
Scarlett's cries slowly turned into whimpers as she buried her face in the crook of his neck, begging for the warmth that Magnus provided for her. Soon enough, she was fast asleep, her back going up and down with every breath she took.
But Magnus just kept rocking and kept singing the song even though nobody else was there to listen. He just stared at the blonde hair on top of his niece's head, noticing the curls that she obviously got from her father. The High Warlock of Brooklyn kissed the top of her head, standing up and went to put her back in the crib when she grabbed onto his finger for dear life. Magnus just smiled, kissing the small hand and then her forehead, where she finally relaxed her grip.
That's when Magnus knew he loved Scarlett more than anything in the world, and vowed to protect her and treat her like he would with his own children. Scarlett would be a heartbreaker, though, he knew it.
"Sweet dreams, pretty girl. Love you." Magnus whispered as he pulled a blanket over her. He then tip-toed over to the door, shutting it quietly on his way out, smiling in content.
-Line break-
Okay, so maybe leaving Scarlett alone in his office was a bad idea, but it wasn't entirely Magnus's fault. He mostly blames the bastard who rang the doorbell, asking for help from the High Warlock. Knowing nobody but Jocelyn and Tessa knew about Scarlett, he left her in her pack and play in his office as she took her nap, and left to see who it was. Thank God it was only Jocelyn and Tessa, who had what seemed like bags of clothes.
"I need to see the precious angel!" Tessa squealed, pushing Magnus aside before he opened the front door all the way. Because of her own business, Tessa never got the chance to meet Scarlet in person, so you could say she was a little too excited to meet her goddaughter.
"She begged me to bring her baby shopping and I figured we could stop by to say hello." Jocelyn smiled as Clary popped out from behind her legs. "Clary, you remember Magnus."
"The gwittery man with the baby!" Clarissa exclaimed, her green eyes shining. The adults laughed of course as Magnus moved over and let the Frays inside. As they sat on the couch, with Clary playing with her dolls she had brought, Jocelyn started to show Magnus some of Clary's old baby clothes that were in still good condition that he could let Scarlett wear.
"Think of it as a late baby shower gift," Jocelyn joked, folding the clothing and putting them back in the bags.
"Thank you," Magnus said.
"You look less flamboyant than the last time I saw you." Jocelyn stated, smirking as if she made a little joke. Magnus just chuckled, running a unusual un-manicured hand through his hair.
"I never thought taking care of a baby would be this much energy."
"Oh trust me, it's when they start walking and talking you have no energy. I was so tired; I never made it to my bed before I fell asleep on the couch or even Clary's bedroom floor."
"MAGNUS!" Tessa screamed from his office. Magnus shot off of the couch, running at full speed to his office. Slamming the door open, Magnus had to dodge a flying glass vase so it wouldn't hit him in the face.
Looking up, he froze to see that everything in the room was floating in mid air. His potions, thankfully, were sealed but were doing weird form of dance. Brooms and mops from the corner closet were moping up some water and sweeping up dust. Basically, the room looked like the Mickey Mouse version of the Sorcerer's Apprentice.
"Oh my God . . ." Magnus trailed off. He could feel the water seeping into his shoes, but he was too entranced to care. His niece, his baby, was using her powers to make everything move and dance! He started to laugh, picking up Scarlett and spinning her as she squealed happily.
"Scarlett is doing this?" he heard Tessa ask as he stopped spinning. With a snap all the brooms and mops went back in their appropriate places, water was dissolving, and potions/glasses setting back onto the table.
"Yes, her very first trick! Isn't that exciting?" Magnus grinned, holding Scarlett with one arm. "She's only four months old and she used her powers!"
"And I thought mundane children were hard to take care of . . ." Jocelyn trailed off, giving a knowing look to Magnus, who was making blue and yellow sparks appear with his fingertips as Scarlett tried to catch them, making her uncle smile.
"I'll teach you all sorts of tricks, just like I taught your mommy. And one day, you'll be a very powerful witch like her too . . ."
-Line Break-
Magnus was lucky that Scarlett's first word wasn't a swear. Really, he's seen many mundanes have their children swearing around the city, in super markets and in movie theaters, crying and begging for attention from their parents. And with all the swearing he does around the apartment, he's surprised she didn't pick anything up from him.
Scarlett was only nine months old when she said her first word, and Magnus remembers that day as if it happened only an hour ago.
He sat her on the living room floor, in front of the couch with her toys and turned on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, her favorite show. She giggled and laughed, bobbed her head to the music, shaking her toys in her chubby fingers.
Magnus just watched her from the loveseat, coffee mug in his hand, smiling as Scarlett pointed out Mickey, Goofie, and Donald Duck.
When the credits started roll, she crawled to him, arms thrown upwards, silently begging to be picked up. Chuckling, Magnus set his coffee down, picked her up, and laid her on his chest as he laid down on his pink, fluffy, couch. It was her naptime, so he decided on singing her the lullaby he sang to her every night to get her to sleep. He was more than surprised when she lifted her head up to look at him and grinned a two toothed grin.
"Dada,"
Magnus's eyes widened.
"Dada!"
He didn't expect that. He's been trying to get her to say Magnus, or Maggie, at best. He never even mentioned the word "dada," thinking it was wrong for her to call him that, considering he wasn't her father.
But her calling him dada for the first time made tears sting his eyes. He thought of Lizzie, his sweet sister, and how she wasn't able to see her daughter grow up, get married, have her own children. Even those might be an impossibility, seeing she was part warlock.
Did that mean she was going to be immortal like him? Was she going to be able to have children without giving them all of her energy? And what was he going to do about Shadowhunting? Will she get her runes, or will he just not tell her about that side of her life?
"Dada, dada, dada!" Scarlett squealed, shaking him out of his thoughts. He gave his niece a watery smile, bringing her closer to his chest, right where his heart was.
-Line Break-
Bath time wasn't a happy time in the Bane household. Just the words 'bath' and 'time' made Scarlett scream on the top of her lungs. Magnus tried anything to distract her while he put her in the tub, washed her hair, clean her food covered skin, but the eighteen month old wasn't having any of it.
"No baf!" she would scream, throwing her hands into the hair. Magnus would sometimes have to chase her around the house, where she would find hiding spots that Magnus never even knew existed. Once, she found a dumb waiter in the way back of the apartment, claiming it as her own panic room for whenever she was upset.
It wasn't until Scarlett was three Magnus found out why she hated baths, hated going swimming; she basically hated anything that involved water. She was scared of drowning; an aquaphobic. He promised her that she would be safe whenever she was with him, and she just looked up at him with those big, green/yellow eyes, pleasing for a promise.
"I cross my heart," he had said. Instead of a pinky promise, Scarlett thought this war more "adult like" so they wouldn't ever break a promise to one another. Ever.
"Maggie?" a tired voice called from the doorway of his bedroom one night.
"Yes, sweetpea?" he asked, putting down a spell book he was overlooking.
"Can I sweep with you?" her voice trembled a little, stuffing her face into her stuffed dog's neck. Magnus smiled, patting the space of yellow canary sheet next to him. Like lightning, she was in his bed, under the covers in a flash, curling herself up against his side. He bent over and kissed the top of her head.
"And what is the reason for your stay, your highness?" he joked, twirling one of her blonde curls around his finger.
Scar, as she has grown accustomed to for a nickname, sat up, leaning against the mountains of pillows, looking exactly like her uncle.
"Do I have any birthmarks?"
"Um, not that I know of. Why are you asking?"
"I was about to go to sleep with Spot my dog, and it started to hurt."
That caught Magnus's attention. "What hurts, darling?"
"This thingy!" she pointed to a spot on her neck, near her shoulder. Gently pulling down the collar of her night time shirt, Magnus inspected the flesh that she pointed to.
"Well I be God damned." He whispered, touching the mark on Scarlett's skin.
There, right on Scarlett Bane's neck, clear as bright as day, was a little white star.
Okay, I know I promised a one-shot for the Mortal Instruments, but this will probably be a three shot, maybe four. This was basically a prologue. Anyway…
WHO'S EXCITED TO SEE THE CITY OF BONES MOVIE? IT JUST CAME OUT TODAY AND I WANT TO SEE IT SO BAD! I STILL HAVE MY OWN OPINIONS, BUT WHAT THE HELL? I NEED TO SEE IT NOW! XD
Review please, and tell me what you think. And if you know anything, like a prediction, please PM me, don't ruin it for other readers.