I had a lot of fun writing this one, so I hope you guys like it. If you haven't read TBC, parts of it will be a bit confusing for you, but it's nothing too bad.
Thank you to my beautiful and amazing editor! Enjoy!
Two
Magnus had really hoped that it would be many more years before he confronted the Lightwoods again, but as luck would have it, he was being forced to face them less than three years after the tragic incident with the Whitelaws. In retrospect, it was really quite amazing that he hadn't met with them sooner given his status as High Warlock and their status as the heads of the New York Institute. This piece of information, however, did nothing to soothe his dread for what would certainly be an extraordinarily awkward and uncomfortable situation.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Magnus knocked firmly on the door to the Institute and waited, arms crossed over his chest. After a minute or so, the door opened revealing Robert Lightwood looking...exhausted. Admittedly, he was still quite handsome (a trait all Lightwoods seem to share), but his shoulders sagged, his hair was in disarray, and he had some of the largest bags under his eyes that Magnus had ever seen.
"Are you alright?" Magnus asked, strangely concerned for the man he had strongly disliked for quite a few years.
"I'm fine. I'll show you to the office," he responded brusquely.
Magnus wasn't surprised to see that Maryse had the same disheveled appearance as her husband.
"Warlock Bane." She stood from behind the desk to greet him, offering him her hand. "I'm so glad we could finally meet you in more fortunate circumstances."
Magnus shook her hand cautiously. "As am I," he responded, not entirely truthfully, though he did appreciate that she seemed to be offering him the metaphorical olive branch.
She smiled tightly. "Please, have a seat," she said, gesturing to the chair facing the desk. Robert remained standing near the doorway.
The meeting progressed much as Magnus had expected, simply discussing the happenings in the Downworld and what Magnus's fees were for his services-opening Portals, healing wounded Shadowhunters, etc. He found himself being escorted out of the office within twenty minutes.
"Thank you for your time, Warlock Bane," Maryse told him. Magnus found himself liking this woman despite his efforts. She was stern but reasonable and certainly more charismatic than her husband.
As Magnus rounded a corner, he felt a force hit his calves. When he looked down, he was met with the bluest eyes he had seen in nearly one hundred years.
"Alexander!" A man Magnus recognized as Hodge Starkweather, another former Circle member, bounded after the child, an infant in his arms. "Look where you're going!"
Magnus then understood why Maryse and Robert looked the way they did-a rambunctious toddler and a newborn cannot be a recipe for a good night's sleep.
"I'm sowwy, Hodge," the kid replied before looking back up at Magnus. "I'm sowwy..."
"Magnus Bane," Magnus told him, unsure of what to do.
"I'm sowwy, Magnus Bane," the child spoke.
"Alexander, you have to be careful," Robert scolded. "You're a Shadowhunter! You know there's a certain way you're expected to behave."
"I know, I'm sowwy," the kid spoke again, sullen.
"Come on, Alec. You can help me with your sister," Hodge said to the young boy. "Leave your parents to attend to their business."
The pair of them hurried away as Maryse turned to Magnus. "I'm so sorry for him. You know how toddlers can be."
"It's no problem," Magnus assured. Then, with a short laugh. "He's a cute kid."
Seven
"There's been an incident at the Chicago Institute," Hodge told him. "Maryse and Robert were asked to attend to it."
"I don't understand what trouble in Chicago has to do with me," Magnus informed the group, mildly annoyed that he had been woken at eight in the morning for this.
"We need you to make a Portal," Robert said. "And close it when we get through."
"Do you need a return trip as well?" Magnus asked.
"No, we can just get one of the warlocks or witches in Chicago to do it," Maryse replied.
You could've gotten practically any other warlock or witch in New York City to open a Portal as well, Magnus thought with irritation. Why me?
Nonetheless, Magnus went to work and in no time, the couple was in Chicago.
"I have your payment in the library if you would follow me," Hodge spoke. He turned to leave without waiting for a response and Magnus dutifully hurried after him.
"Here." Hodge place the herbs in Magnus's hands (he needed them for a spell he had been working on). "I trust you can see yourself out."
Magnus nodded and made his way out.
"Hey!" A high-pitched voice stopped him. He turned around to see a little girl with dark hair and dark eyes in a floral tank top and jean-shorts. "Who are you?"
"Isabelle, you're being rude!" A boy with bright blue eyes and dark hair to match the girl's-undoubtedly the older Lightwood child-came up behind her.
The girl, Isabelle, crossed her arms, ignoring her brother. "You're a Downworlder. You shouldn't be here!"
"Isabelle!" Her brother protested.
Magnus smirked, amused by the children. "Well, Ms. Lightwood, I'm Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn. Your parents hired me to make a Portal. I was just on my way out, if that's alright with you."
"Oh," she said, dejected. "I'm sorry. I thought you were a bad guy."
"Isabelle!" The boy spoke again, exasperated.
Magnus gave the two a sad smile. "You're hardly the first Shadowhunter to mistake me for a bad guy, Isabelle. It was a pleasure meeting you both."
With that he turned and walked away, leaving two very confused children in his wake.
Twelve
"One of you must know something," Maryse exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "You're the heads of your groups. This is what you're supposed to be informed about!"
"Plenty of Downworlders don't align with us," Gabriel, the leader of the New York werewolf pack, argued. "In the same way there are still plenty of Shadowhunters who don't follow the Accords, there are Downworlders who hate and refuse to align with Shadowhunters."
Maryse was affronted by his statement. "All Shadowhunters follow the Accords! If they do not, they are put on trial and stripped of their marks!"
This exclamation was met with scoffs and eye-rolls from the Downworlders present in the room, though no further comment was made regarding the situation.
"Mrs. Lightwood," Magnus began carefully, attempting to ease the tension in the room, "we all agree that the seemingly random attacks on Shadowhunters in New York is highly unfortunate and should be stopped. However, the four of us have no idea who's behind this-we didn't even know it was happening. I'm sure if any of us hear anything about it, we'll bring the information straight to you."
"Quite frankly, I'm offended that you think the faeries are involved in this mess," the Faerie Queen spoke.
Camille, appearing as a hologram due to her inability to stand on sacred ground, scoffed. "You may be offended, Your Majesty, but you can't be surprised. It's what Shadowhunters do-blame innocent Downworlders for all their problems."
"Camille," Magnus warned.
"Come on, Magnus. Let's not allow your inexplicable attachment to Shadowhunters to get in the way of what is clearly just another attempt of theirs to put themselves above the likes of us," Camille spat.
"Miss Belcourt-" Maryse started, but Magnus cut her off to address Camille.
"Let's not allow your age-old prejudices to blow this situation way out proportion," he shot back.
"Stop bickering like children," the Faerie Queen snapped. "You're both hundreds of years old. Pull yourselves together."
Magnus and Camille both sent each other and the Queen sharp glares.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Maryse spoke. "For the record, it was not my intention to offend anyone. I'm just trying to protect my people. I trust that if any of you hear anything, the first person to be informed will be my husband or me. I'll show you out."
Camille's hologram disappeared and the rest of them walked with Maryse out of the room. As they walked passed an open doorway, Magnus looked inside to see three young children. Two boys who appeared to be relatively the same age-one blond and one dark-haired-were wrestling while a slightly younger brunette girl seemed to be refereeing. Magnus suddenly understood why Maryse had been so persistent about discovering the identity of the attacker-her children were nearly ready to begin hunting. She was afraid for the safety of her family.
Magnus felt something as he looked at Maryse Lightwood that he hadn't felt since Tessa Gray-sympathy. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to send the children that you had raised as your own into a world where the chances were extremely high that they wouldn't live to see thirty. To trust that you had trained them well enough to make it-and the heartbreak you would feel if you discovered you hadn't.
Fifteen
"I really don't understand how you do it," Magnus said, holding the door open for his friend. "I never have."
"I like healing people, Magnus. It's what I'm good at," Catarine told him as they sat down, still in her scrubs.
"You know how bad you make the rest of us look, right?" Magnus laughed.
"Well, maybe if you would just let go of a little bit of your pride that wouldn't be a problem," she teased.
"Hi, my name is Kaelie, I'll be your waitress today," a perky pixie told them, notepad in hand. "What can I get for you two?"
They ordered and spent the next hour just eating and chatting about their lives. It was nice, a constant perk of Catrina's presence.
"That Shadowhunter keeps looking at you," she whispered at the end of their meal, while they were finishing up their coffee.
Magnus rolled his eyes, not bothering to look. "Shadowhunters are always staring at me. I mean-have you ever seen me?"
Catarina smirked. "That's not what I meant. Just look."
Magnus glanced over his shoulder and for a moment his eyes met startlingly beautiful blue ones. The boy immediately looked away, his cheeks turning red. He was sitting with a handsome blonde boy and a beautiful dark-haired girl who were engrossed in a conversation about something-probably weapons. The group were the Lightwood kids, no doubt about it.
Magnus turned back to Catarina. "If only he wasn't a Shadowhunter. He's gorgeous, he could get any boy he wanted."
Catarina clenched her fists. "The Clave has plenty of issues to compete with, but I think that one might take the cake. I've never understood how people will turn away from their own simply because of something as trivial as sexuality."
"Trust me, love, you don't need to tell me that," Magnus responded.
"Do you think they'll ever come around on this?" Catarina asked, frowning.
"I certainly hope they do. That poor kid."
Seventeen
He had promised himself years ago that he wouldn't get seriously involved with Shadowhunters ever again. Too much heartbreak.
But honestly, how could he stop himself when he saw that boy. Black hair and blue eyes-his favorite combination. Plus, that adorable blush he was blessed with when Magnus had pointed out his good-looks. Alexander Lightwood was truly the whole package.
It's not like anything will come of it, Magnus thought to himself. There's no harm in a little flirting.
Twenty-Three
"What's up with you?" Alec asked as they walked through Central Park, hand-in-hand. "You've been acting weird all day-especially during dinner."
It was a brisk autumn night, not too cold nor too hot. It was Magnus's favorite time of the year-the trees were red and yellow with leaves scattered throughout the ground, the latest fashion trends always seemed to include some sort of incredibly stylish jacket, and it always seemed to have such an unexplainable positive energy that Magnus just adored.
"Nothing's up, darling," Magnus said, which didn't convince Alec in the slightest.
"Don't lie to me, Magnus," Alec spoke sternly. "Is something wrong? You know you can tell me anything."
"Could we sit down?" Magnus asked gesturing toward a bench they had just walked passed. Alec nodded and they took a seat.
"So what has you so bothered?" Alec questioned, in what he hoped was a calming tone of voice.
Magnus took a deep breath. "I'm going to talk and you're not going to interrupt me. You'll know when I'm finished." Alec nodded, surprised to see his usually steady and confident boyfriend so nervous.
"When I first learned that you existed I called you a 'repellent brat.' That was when your parents were still in the Circle and we were fighting on opposite sides. After the Uprising when the Circle was defeated, your parents were banished from Idris unless they were there on official business and sent to run the New York Institute. You already know this story though, so I'll skip ahead a bit. I didn't see your parents again for a few years. When I finally did, I realize that they weren't the terrible people I had thought they were. They were simply misguided by a monster of a man. The day I realized this was also the first day I saw you. As I was leaving the Institute, a two-year-old you ran into my legs. You quickly told me you were 'sowwy' for running into me." This statement caused Alec's cheeks to flush and Magnus grinned. "You were absolutely precious. Obviously, I didn't imagine that I would fall in love with you then, but twenty years later here we are.
"Alexander, you are by far the most important person in my life. You're more important to me than anyone else has ever been. Every night when I fall asleep with you laying in my arms, I'm struck with how unbelievably lucky I am. We had so much working against us, love-the Clave, my age. Virtually all of my friends were certain you would break my heart-but here we are. I have never been more devastated than I was for the short time we were broken up. That affirmed what I had known be true for quite some time-we are so much better when we're together. I am so madly in love with you, and it finally seems like the right for me to officially lock you down."
Magnus reached into his pocket and got down on one knee. Alec's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Alexander Lightwood, will you please do me the honor of becoming my husband?"
Alec laughed. "That's what you were so nervous about? Of course, I'll marry you, Magnus!"
Magnus smiled, slipping the ring on Alec's finger. He stood up and pulled his fiance in for a kiss, both of them sharing the knowledge that it was only one of many, many more to come.
Let me know what you want to read next! I hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it.