Merry Christmas y'all! I hope you enjoy this little something that I wrote for you. I made a lot of assumptions for this story, not only about malec's upcoming arc, but about other characters' arcs as well, so just roll with them, okay? It's Freeform's fault that we haven't seen the remaining episodes of the season even though they finished filming them months ago.

But anyway, let's not talk about them today, they [Freeform] aren't worth it. So just enjoy and happy holidays! Don't forget to leave reviews, follow, and/or mark the story as your favorite ;D

Merry Little Christmas

Alec looked up from the tray of canapés he was refilling and smiled broadly at the beautiful view displayed before him. His family and friends all gathered at his home—aka Magnus's penthouse and officially, the Lightwood-Bane household since they had said 'I do' a couple of weeks ago—to celebrate Christmas together.

This was their very first family event (and Christmas) as a married couple and per his now husband's suggestion, they were celebrating it accordingly. At first, Alec had been a bit hesitant not only about celebrating that peculiar mundane festivity—Shadowhunters didn't celebrate the same things as the mundanes, all their celebrations were linked to their angelic blood—but about throwing a party again in the penthouse. The last party they had thrown together in the place—Max's first rune party—hadn't been exactly what one might call a success; but Magnus had convinced him that after all that had happened this year and the huge step they had taken in their relationship, it would be good for them to have some quality time with their family and friends. After all, life was too short and none of them knew if they were going to make it out alive the next day, so they had to seize every moment they had together.

And Alec had agreed. Using this special holiday to celebrate that they and all their loved ones were alive and together was a great idea. They had had way too many close calls this year and that had taught him not to take anyone's life for granted—much less the lives of the people he cared so much about. So even though it wasn't a secret that Shadowhunters weren't keen on celebrating anything mundane and that Alec wasn't particularly good at organizing parties, he had done what he could to help make this night memorable, getting on board with whatever crazy idea his husband had come up with for tonight.

It had been a couple of very complicated and stressful weeks. Getting everything ready for tonight, from the thousands of presents that Magnus had insisted they got for everyone, to the over-the-top decoration that currently covered every inch of their home, everything had turned out to be a great challenge for them—especially because they were a newlywed couple who, besides having to organize their very first formal dinner with their family, had other important responsibilities to fulfill as leaders of their own people. But Alec had to admit that now that he could admire the result of all their hard work, he knew that all the stress and silly arguments they had had in the past weeks had been more than worth it. Seeing all his family and friends having such a good time at their own home warmed his heart in a way that he didn't know was possible.

Max and Madzie were by the huge Christmas tree he and Magnus had decorated together just the day before, trying to guess which of the thousands of gifts under it were theirs. Izzy seemed to be 'supervising' them, though Alec was sure his sister was also trying to guess if there was anything for her under the tree as well. His mother and Luke were chatting animatedly, their budding romance seemed to be getting stronger with each passing day and that made him extremely happy—Raziel knew that his mother and Luke deserved all the happiness in the world. His father was talking to Jia Penhallow and Underhill, who, by the way, had quickly become one of Alec's best friends inside and outside the Institute. Jace and Clary were on the couch looking at each other all lovingly, while Simon and Maia were laughing loudly and devouring all the fancy snacks that Magnus had summoned from someplace in France that very morning. Raphael, who still wasn't Alec's favorite person and probably never would be, was also there, chatting with Catarina, who kept glancing at her daughter to make sure she didn't use her magic to open the presents before it was time. Aline and Helen were in their own little bubble, talking and laughing, comfortable to finally be able to show their love with their loved ones. The whole scene was beautiful and Alec wanted to treasure it forever.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Magnus asked, hugging Alec from behind and leaving a soft kiss on his shoulder. Something that Alec, incidentally, absolutely loved. It was, perhaps, a very simple display of affection, but it always made him feel all warm and fuzzy.

"I'm just happy." Alec said, smiling at his husband. "We have a very beautiful family." He added because despite everything and everyone, that little statement was nothing but the truth. With ups and downs, fights, and all sorts of differences, but all these people were part of their beautiful family.

Magnus didn't reply and just looked at their guests. Alec could see a hint of sadness, joy, and even disbelief in Magnus's eyes, and he immediately knew why. His husband had never had a family before, his friends—the late Ragnor, Catarina, Raphael, and even Luke—they all were his family, but it had never been official. Now it was, Magnus had a real and growing family he could call his own. A family that he had decided to start with Alec.

"We do." Magnus said after a while. "A bit unusual, I'd say, but beautiful nonetheless."

"Just a bit unusual?" Alec laughed, staring at the strange mix of Shadowhunters and Downworlders gathered there.

"Well, very unusual, but that makes it even more special, do you want to know why?"

Alec knew why, but he wanted to hear it from Magnus, so he smiled. "Why?"

"Because we made this possible, Alexander. We brought this family together." Magnus said as if he were just realizing how true that statement was. How powerful their love had been to unite all these people.

If this group of Shadowhunters and Downworlders now accepted each other and considered one another family was because of Alec and Magnus. Of course, Luke, Simon, and Clary had always considered each other family, but Clary and Simon hadn't been raised as they all had, their vision of this world hadn't been tainted by prejudice. But seeing his parents, his Shadowhunter friends, and all these important and amazing leaders of the Downworld being so at ease with each other and bonding as one big family was something Alec never thought would be possible.

"I love our family." Alec said.

"I love it too."

"Thank you for all this, you were right, this is what we needed and-" Alec was saying when his sister's shrill scream broke the quiet murmur that had settled for some minutes in the penthouse. She was pointing to the ceiling, where a small sprig of mistletoe was just popping up.

Magnus had planned that little spell to, admittedly, have fun at the expense of their guests, but mainly to help break the ice a bit. Every now and then, some mistletoe popped up on the ceiling, and whoever was under it had to follow the tradition and kiss. So far, Luke had kissed Clary on the cheek in a very paternal gesture, Izzy and Maia had shared a peck on the lips, Catarina had kissed Raphael on the forehead, and now it seemed that it was Jace and Simon's turn.

"We have to kiss, man," Simon said, "it's tradition."

"I don't care about mundane traditions, besides, aren't you Jewish or something?" Jace said.

"I am, but I've always celebrated Christmas with Clary, Luke, and Jocelyn. Well, only when it didn't overlap with Shabbat because my Bubbie Helen observes Shabbat strictly, so we always go to the synagogue; but anyway, the point is that I know all about Christmas traditions and I know for a fact that when two people are standing—or sitting—like us under the mistletoe, they have to kiss."

"Yes, you two have to kiss, Jace." Izzy said. "At least on the cheek."

"On the cheek? What!? No, if we kiss, we kiss on the mouth." Simon said. "It's about time I get to kiss Jace."

"No." Jace said, shaking his head several times. "And even less because of that." He pointed to Maia, who was smiling triumphantly with her phone in her hand, ready to document the moment.

"He's not going to do it." Alec whispered to Magnus. "Do something, force him with your magic. Not to kiss him on the mouth, though, just on the cheek or forehead."

"There's no need for that. He's not completely opposed to do it, he just needs a little push." Magnus winked at him. "Hey, biscuit!" He exclaimed, calling Clary by that cheesy nickname he had given her since she was a kid. "A little help? We need you to convince your boyfriend to kiss Simon or, else, Christmas will be ruined. You know we cannot break traditions."

"Jace…" Clary said, using a tender voice. Alec noticed that Jace was already shaking his head. "You have to do it, please? For me?"

"What side are you on!?" Jace asked, offended by his girlfriend's betrayal.

"The Christmas spirit side? If we let you get away with this, then later nobody is going to want to kiss anybody and that's not fun, so come on...kiss Simon. You know that deep down you want to. You don't even have to kiss him on the mouth."

"Though...I do happen to have very soft lips, just so you know." Simon said, smiling and making a face so that Jace had better access to his lips if he wanted to kiss him there.

Alec chuckled along with Magnus at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Not cool, Magnus." Jace said, pointing to the mistletoe and giving Simon the quickest peck on the lips that anyone had ever seen, but a kiss, nonetheless.

The whole room burst out in laughter and Alec wanted to record that lovely sound and listen to it for the rest of his life. He couldn't remember the last time he had heard his parents laugh out loud as they were doing at that precise moment, or seen his siblings making fun of each other just because they could. And that thought left him feeling sad and hopeful all at the same time.

Times were changing.

"Well…" Magnus said, "that was the best entrée for the dinner, don't you think?" He winked, taking the stuffed turkey out of the oven and walking out the kitchen to place it on the table. "Okay, everyone, enough with the smooching, gather around, the food is ready."

Alec took the trays he had been refilling and placed them on the table too. There was plenty of food for them to eat ten times their size. Magnus had insisted on going very classic with the food, so there was every typical Christmas dish they could find on the Internet, plus some vampire-friendly variations that included all sorts of blood substitute ingredients.

Their friends and family started to walk towards the large round table—Alec had insisted on that so that no one was above anybody—and took a sit. Magnus winked at Alec and headed over to where Robert was sitting right next to Max and Izzy.

"Robert, would you do us the honor?" Magnus said in his perfectly polite way of saying things.

Alec had no idea that his husband had planned to give his father that role during dinner. They had talked about Alec cutting the turkey, but since Alec had refused, he had assumed that Magnus would do it. This was definitely something he hadn't seen coming, but that strangely didn't surprise him.

He knew that Magnus didn't like Robert too much, not only because he had met him a few decades ago and had seen him do some horrible things, but because of the cheating thing that had happened some months ago. But he also knew that Magnus was aware of how important family was to Alec, and this...giving Robert his rightful place as Alec's father and, still, the head of the Lightwood family in spite of everything, was a way of showing how much he cared about Alec's happiness.

"Are you trying to charm my father?" Alec asked, smiling when Magnus stood beside him and started opening the bottles to serve the wine. It warmed his heart that Magnus was still seeking approval from his parents. He knew damn well that no matter what they said—what the world said—they were going to be together forever. The ring in his hand was the greatest proof of that. This was really it. But Alec also knew that Magnus didn't want him to have to choose between one thing or the other. He wanted him to have both.

"No." He replied, trying to sound nonchalant, but failing miserably.

Alec gave him a knowingly look because sometimes Magnus seriously underestimated how well he actually knew him.

"Well, maybe a little bit." Magnus admitted discreetly. "He's still your father and you care about him, so..."

Alec smiled. "Well, it's working." He said because his father was all chin up, chest out, and big smile at the moment.

Magnus winked. "What can I say? I'm irresistible."

"I'm well aware of that." Alec chuckled, taking the bottle from Magnus's hand and helping him pour the wine.

Once everyone had a glass of wine, blood, or soft drink in hand, Alec took a seat next to Magnus, giving him a smile and holding his hand.

"I'm not sure if this is a usual Christmas thing to do, but I'd like to say a few words before we start eating." Robert said, looking at everyone and raising his glass as if to make a toast. "This has been a very difficult year for all of us. We've made mistakes, we've seen people we care about get hurt and in some cases, even die; we've faced our worst fears and been forced to overcome them, we've lost and fought until our very last breath to save those we love. It's been hard, really hard, but in the end, we've come out victorious. The fact that we are all sitting here tonight, celebrating together this mundane holiday proves how important family and friends are at the end of everything. None of us would be here if we hadn't had someone by our side when we needed it the most. We're part of the Shadow World, I would love to say that evil and danger will no longer be a threat to us and that pure happiness is what lies ahead, but we all know that's not true. Difficult times will come again, they're part of our daily life, we have to face danger every day, but now, more than ever, I am sure that together, we can overcome everything. So…" Robert made a small pause, "here's to family and friends, to Shadowhunters and Downworlders, to forgiveness, to peace, to acceptance, to happy endings and new beginnings, but especially, here's to happiness and love." He added, pointing his glass to Alec and Magnus's direction and giving one last nod to Maryse and Luke. "Merry Christmas, everyone."

"Merry Christmas!" They all exclaimed in unison as Alec simply stood there, his hand firmly intertwined with Magnus's and looking at each and every face on that table.

Music had been playing all night long, Magnus had a very extensive collection of Christmas albums that, although had the same ten songs each, were still very beautiful. And for the first time all night, Alec was actually listening to one of the songs that had been playing almost non-stop. He didn't know its name or who was the singer behind the almost angelical voice, but they lyrics were practically echoing his father's words. The song was talking about staying together through the years if the fates allowed it and having a merry little Christmas. And now Alec understood why mundanes loved this holiday so much. He was hoping, as the song said, that through the years these people gathered with them tonight stayed in their lives. He was hoping that their troubles could be really let out of sight and that they could have many more merry little Christmases like this one every year, for the rest of the time they all had together in this world.

"Now let's eat." Alec's father added, finally cutting the turkey and slowly passing down the plates.

Alec squeezed Magnus's hand tightly.

"Are you okay?" Magnus asked in a whisper.

Alec nodded, giving him a smile. He was the happiest he had ever been. He had everything he had always wanted and more...much, much more.

"Magnus! Alec!" Madzie exclaimed from across the table. She had her little hand pointing towards the ceiling and was smiling mischievously.

Alec looked up. There was a small sprig of mistletoe popping up on the ceiling just above their heads.

Alec smiled and turned his face to look at Magnus. "It's tradition, right?"

"A very important one." Magnus added.

Alec could hear his siblings' quiet giggles from where they were sitting at the table.

"Let's honor it, then." He said, kissing his husband full on the mouth.

If someone had told Alec that by Christmas, he would be kissing his Warlock husband in front of his parents and other important representatives of the Shadow World, he would have laughed in their faces. But here he was, using a mundane holiday tradition as an excuse to kiss Magnus in their very own home and in front of all their family and friends.

"Merry Christmas, Alexander."

"Merry Christmas, Magnus."

"I love you."

"I love you more."

...and have yourselves a little Merry Christmas now.