Here it is, Chapter 2 . . . I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you on the other side :)
Chapter 2. A Rude Awakening.
Ring!Ring!Ring!
The harsh trill woke Alec up with a start. Groaning he rolled over from where he was cuddled up against Magnus to grab his phone from the bedside table.
His moving around woke Magnus up too, but only enough to shift slightly and grab at Alec's back to entice him back under the covers. It worked, Alec could hardly resist, so before answering the offending electronic device, he scooted back over to Magnus, who wrapped one arm around his waist, whilst the other hand snaked into his crazy bad-hair.
Despite this delicious distraction, Alec glanced at the at the caller ID before flipping it open pressing it to his ear, his eyes sending Magnus a deadly warning.
'Institute' he mouthed.
"Hello?"
Alexander, came the stern voice of his mother, I have just received word that your father has deemed it necessary to bring his mother and sister to the Institute, since apparently the corrupting influences of the mundane and downworlder communities seem to be too much for us to handle on out own. They're on their way right now.
"What!" Alec was outraged. How could his father be so . . . so . . . old-fashioned . . . bigoted . . . naive . . . interfering . . . so true to the shadowhunter tradition of narrow-mindedness and fear of difference.
He hated his extended family.
"Awww . . . Mum, it's really early . . . maybe I should just stay here" Alec moaned, sounding whiny and petulant even to himself, not really hopeful, but willing to give anything a shot if it meant getting out of meeting the dreaded Aunt Veronica and Grandmother Petulia.
I'm sorry darling, but you'll have to see them at some point, and Petulia will only be worse if she thinks you've slighted her by not being there to welcome them.
Alec sighed, he knew his mother was right, but still . . .
"All right, but I'm bringing Magnus."
Alexander . . .
"No mum, I've spent the last eighteen years miserable and lonely when they visit, and I'm not going through that again."
Oh Alexander, you know that I fully support your relationship with Magnus, despite my initial concerns, I can see that he makes you happy. But Petulia and Veronica, unfortunately like most . . .
"I don't care Mum, I love Magnus more than anything, and I'm not going to just deny his existence because my so-called family, not including you and Jace and Izzy, can't deal with that" Alec said defiantly, catching Magnus' eye as he did.
For his part, hearing Alexander saying those things felt like his beautiful boy was reaching into his heart and plucking on his heartstrings as if they were harpstrings. A delightful ache.
He couldn't hear what Maryse was saying, but whatever it was, it had Alec all tensed up, and Magnus couldn't be having with that, especially after all the wonderful things he had just been saying. Nevertheless, he knew that Alec still found it difficult with his family, so, putting aside all thoughts of mischief, he settled for stroking those ebony locks and whispering softly into the delicate ear hidden beneath them.
So that's final. Be back here in less than half an hour, or I shall be forced to reconsider allowing your 'sleepovers' to continue.
Alec bit back a snarky comment about how infrequent the 'sleepovers' actually were, especially considering how many times Izzy had been almost caught sneaking back into the Institute at three in the morning. His being sarcastic would only make a strained situation worse.
Besides, his mother had been incredibly understanding, all things considered. Much more understanding than his father, not that Alec had ever expected him to be.
So he just said "yeah", and snapped the phone shut.
It was remarkable how quickly they got moving and shaking, all things considered, and Alec was proud of Magnus, who hadn't complained once about being dragged out of bed so early and only being allowed 20 minutes to get ready, including a shower.
He was in their bedroom ( Alec still had to suppress insane giggling when he thought of it as their bedroom ) now, getting ready as Alec wolfed down a slice of toast and an orange juice.
Suddenly, there was a very loud crash, followed by several muttered curses. 'Magnus must have tripped over something' mused Alec, washing down the last of his toast and depositing the dirty plate and glass in the sink. It was strange though, Magnus was usually very graceful and co-ordinated, even when pulling on his sinfully tight jeans.
Brushing the crumbs off his lap, Alec went to investigate. He certainly wasn't expecting what he found.
Magnus had indeed fallen over, but he hadn't moved from where he sat, surrounded by a sea of colourful clothes. As Alec got closer, he could see his boyfriend's shoulders shaking minutely and hear the quiet sniffles.
"Magnus?" he called gently, hurrying to his side, wanting, needing to comfort him. But once he was there, he felt strangely helpless.
"What's wrong Mag?" he asked as he stroked the freshly washed hair. It was at this point that Chairman Meow also added his support - crawling into his owner's la and nuzzling his limp hand.
When the tiny cat looked back at Alec, his blazing green eyes were accusatory, seeming to blame Alec for Magnus' state.
"What?" muttered Alec under his breath "I don't know what's wrong any more than you do."
Chairman only blinked.
Alec sighed, redirecting his attention back to Magnus.
"Mag? Baby, please tell me what's wrong."
"It's stupid" wailed the warlock , bursting into a fresh wave of tears, "you'll think I'm an idiot."
"Magnus" sighed Alec, moving so he was crouching right in front of his boyfriend and waiting until he had locked gazes with those beautiful green-gold eyes before continuing. "I will never think you're an idiot. Ever. I love you."
Magnus seemed to draw strength from those words, and, in one breath, rushed out -
"I''lljustembarrassyou"
It took Alec a few moments to process what exactly it was that Magnus had said, but when it finally clicked, he clutched Magnus to him in a desperate hug, horrified at what he as putting himself through.
They sat like that for several minutes, each comforting and reassuring the other with their presence.
Eventually Alec broke the silence. "You don't have to come, Magnus, it's not like I haven't them on my own before."
"No" said Magnus, wiping his eyes furiously and pushing himself to his feet. "Do you remember that night in Alicante when you saved my life from those horrible Iblis demons? You promised to introduce me to your whole family, and I intend to hold you to that promise" he grinned over his shoulder at Alec, almost back to his confident, sassy self.
"All right, but as to your earlier worries, you're partly right, they probably are going to hate you, and make it very clear too, but as far as embarrassing me goes, I will never be embarrassed to call you my boyfriend, even if you tap dance naked on the steps of the institute, I will still be honoured to be in a relationship with the most sought-after Warlock this side of the Atlantic. I long ago gave up caring what my stupid grandmother and aunt think, all that matters to me is what you think."
After that magnificent speech, Magnus simply had to kiss his wonderful boyfriend.
And when that was over with, they were nearly late to the Institute ( Magnus had to open a portal without taking many of the numerous precautions ) but they made it just in time to meet Jace, Izzy and Maryse in the foyer.
There we go. In the next chapter, you can look forward to meeting Grandmother Veronica and Aunt Petulia . . . you'll love them . . . really . . .
No you won't, they're horrible.
Please review, it means the world.
Haunted Harlequin.
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Oh, and I have a few replies to the wonderful people who reviewed chapter 1 and the last chapter of Miscommunication -
SilentWatcher1213 - Thank you, I'm so happy you liked it! And here you are . . . Let me know what you think of it!
Iris Luna - I'm so happy that I made you cry . . . ummmm . . . I think. You have my most sincere thanks for your review, it warms my heart :) I would really love to hear what you think of Never Let Me Go as well ! Thanks again, you are amazing.
PatriciaSage - Here it is! And thanks for your honesty :) Excitedness! Woo!
SilentWatcher1213 - Pretty cool . . . I actually would have used that if my friend hadn't suggested Never Let Me Go when I went round for dinner at hers so thank you very much for trying to help out, I really appreciate it :)
DarkQueenOfBlood (Sandra) - I hope the wait wasn't too bad, but here you are! I hope you enjoyed, and would love to hear what you think. :)
Okay, that's all for now . . .
Oh, and by my Royal decree I declare that any who review Never Let Me Go can indeed request any outtake they want to be written for them and shared with the world via a separate story entitled Never Let Me Go Outtakes. And that includes the lovely people who helped with the title, so . . . drum roll please . . . PatriciaSage , SilentWatcher1213 and DarkQueenOfBlood (Sandra), you may request any scene you wish, now or you can save it for the future . . .
So, get reviewing!
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