Disclaimer: I don't own this. I just borrow it.

Note: This is meant to be a series of one-shots focusing on Alec and Magnus, during random moments in time, and showing "mundane" parts of their life. You could read chapter seven without knowing a thing about chapter one. I really hope I do Malec justice and I am absolutely open to suggestions for which moments I could write for them next so… if you have something, let me know!

Chapter Two: S is for Santa Claus

December 2008

"Please."

"No."

"It's for a good cause."

"And yet still no."

The blue skinned woman crossed her arms over her chest, candy cane printed surgical scrubs rustling softly like a strange cross between paper and fabric. "You're an ass, Magnus Bane."

"Flatter me however you like, Catarina Loss, and the answer is still no."

Alec sighed from his seat at the by the window, where he'd been trying not to eavesdrop in their conversation by reading a Stephen King book - and he'd bet anything Stephen King had the Sight - but, when it turned into an argument complete with insults and begging, it was impossible not to hear. "I'll do it."

Catarina jerked her head up in surprise. "What?"

"I'll do it."

She turned back to Magnus and grinned smugly at him. "You finally picked the perfect one."

He ignored her, more or less. "Alec, do you know what you just agreed to? If you weren't eavesdropping on the whole conversation, say so and then back out of what you agreed to. I can make her forget that you agreed in the first place."

His hip still sore from twisting it badly while chasing omni demons through Coney Island in the ice and snow the night before, Alec rolled his eyes. "The guy who usually dresses up as Santa Claus for pediatric floor at Catarina's hospital has pneumonia and can't do it. She asked you to do it. You said no. I said yes. Good enough?" When Magnus only gaped at him, he turned to her. "Unless you don't want me to. Since I'm… a Shadowhunter. Or something."

Catarina thought it was sort of adorable that he thought his Angel blood disqualified him from dressing up as Santa Claus. "That doesn't matter to me, Lightwood," she said, "but if you need to check the rules of your people, go ahead."

He shrugged and leaned back against the extra cushions on the chair. "Our task is to protect mundanes from dark, scary things. Hospitals and cancer and all that aren't demons and Shadow things but… still dark and scary. Santa Claus helps kids be happy so… I don't need to check. I'll do it."

She gave Magnus a long, pointed look and then stood up, crossing the room quickly to stand in front of Alec. Without a word, she bent over and cupped her blue hands on either side of his face and kissed him on the lips.

"Catarina Loss!" Magnus yelped as Alec stared in shock. "Get your lips off my boyfriend this instant!"

They were already off but she kept her eyes on Alec. "The usual guy is about a hundred pounds heavier than you and a half a foot shorter so… if Magnus isn't totally useless, have him get you a costume, otherwise I will. The Christmas party is tomorrow night at six. I'll meet you in the main lobby at 5:15 and take you to a place where you can get ready. Okay?"

Alec nodded, mostly recovered from the kiss. "Okay. And I just… walk around and talk to them? Ask them what they want for Christmas?"

"Yep. Don't forget ho, ho, ho, especially with the littlest ones. If they've been good or bad too. Oh, and there will be gifts for you to give them. I'll be Santa's helper so I'll be right beside you almost all the time." She paused to take a breath and raised one eyebrow at him. "You sure about this? You won't have to patrol or whatever?"

"I'm sure. Unless there is a serious demon invasion, I'm off duty for four days because of my hip."

Catarina leaned down again and put her hand on his hip. Alec gave a soft gasp as warmth pushed into him and softened the nagging soreness. "It won't be healed," she said, her lips by his ear, "but the ache should be eased for awhile. Merry Christmas." She waggled her fingers in a wave at Magnus and hurried out of the apartment.

Magnus hurried over to Alec. "I don't know if I like her manhandling you like that," he fretted.

"Why don't you know how to do that spell?" Alec demanded, more than a little relaxed now that his hip didn't feel like it were on fire.

He narrowed his eyes. "She's a healer. I know things but it's her specialty."

"You may be the wrong warlock for a Shadowhunter to be dating."

Magnus was strangely not insulted by this. In fact, he took it as a challenge. He did not intend to learn the spell, though he realized he probably did know it and just had forgotten it, but he resolved to find other ways to take Alec's mind off the inevitable injuries he got in his line of work. Possibly ways that had nothing to do with magic at all. It wouldn't work now that Catarina had done her thing, but it would work later. For now, he would set about finding Alec the perfect Santa Claus costume, without using magic to change his actual appearance to be more like the man he would be pretending to be.

It wasn't as bad as Alec expected, because he didn't even have to get up while Magnus conjured red suits onto him and off him with flicks of his fingers. And he was able to keep it limited to a traditional Santa Claus outfit. So it wasn't as bad as he feared it could be. The extra bonus was Magnus declaring that his hip was too bruised to walk on, especially if he might have little mundie kids climbing on him tomorrow, and carrying him to bed where he promptly and easily made him forget any other aches and pains as he kissed him everywhere he possibly could.

Alec did not tell Jace or Isabelle that he was spending an evening dressed as Santa Claus. He wasn't ashamed of what he'd agreed to do, he just really wanted to do it without them standing in the back of the room watching. Which he was absolutely sure they would do if given half a chance. So he gave them no chance.

He got up late, avoided Magnus who was singing Christmas songs constantly, and hid with his nose in a book about ancient Greece. It was probably stupid to be more nervous about this thing that he'd agreed to do than chasing the demons that he'd gotten hurt fighting but he was. He was, however, getting used to recognizing the stupidity of a lot of things that made him nervous.

Which did not make him less nervous.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Magnus asked, not at all sure what Alec's answer would be.

"You can if you want."

"Then I'll stay home," he said, reading between the lines of Alec's answer. "Call me when you're done. I'll come then and we can get a drink or something."

Alec agreed to that and left the apartment. His hip was only a little sore and Magnus had magicked the suit to Catarina's locker at the hospital so he didn't have to carry that, which was nice. He spent the subway ride reviewing all the life decisions that had led to him be doing this. It wasn't so much about not wanting to do it, regretting that he agreed… he was just more than startled to realize he had agreed when he had no idea what would happen.

Catarina was waiting in the main lobby of Beth Israel, and she didn't bother to hide her surprise that he'd actually shown up. "I was almost positive you'd bail on me," she said as they got on a elevator.

"I said I would be here," he said, shaking his head as the doors slid closed in front of them.

She nodded once and leaned against the railing on the wall. "I apologize. You aren't like the rest of your people and I should not have thought of you that way."

"It's fine," he said with a sigh. "I'm sorry too. Honestly… I'm kind of surprised I'm here."

Catarina laughed softly as the doors opened again and she stepped into the hallway, leading the way to a storage room where he could get ready. "Then we can be evenly happy that you got bothered by Magnus being a twit and refusing, and that you're too bound to promise and duty to flake out on me."

"I don't know why he was so against it. You'd think he'd want to wear a costume and be the most fabulous Santa Claus to ever walk the earth." Inside the storage room, he pulled his sweatshirt off as he eyed the red and white suit draped on a pile of boxes. "Then again, he'd probably go too far and Santas next year would get asked why they aren't glittery enough."

Her soft laughter from before turned into such a deep laugh that she doubled over against the wall and tears streamed from her eyes. The mental image of Santa-Magnus dripping glitter all over a red felt suit and a stream of mundie kids was too much. Thinking of it, that Alec had described it that way, was possibly better than seeing it. Because she had no doubt that would be what happened if Magnus ever agreed to act as Santa Claus. "Maybe it is better that he refused," she wheezed as her laughter started to fade.

"Maybe," Alec agreed, laughing too. He had already traded his dark gray khakis for the Santa pants and dutifully held out his arms when she held up the coat.

Catarina worked quickly after that; glamouring his runes away, stuffing the coat with a pillow and securing it with magic, and creating a fluffy white beard that couldn't be pulled easily. She gave him instructions on what to say to the kids and promised to hand him the appropriate gifts for the appropriate kids. And then she snapped her fingers and transformed himself into Mrs. Claus.

Over the next three hours, Alec sat in the family area and visited with the children who were well enough to leave their rooms and their families. He asked them if they'd been good and promised to bring them the gifts they wanted, laughing at their shy giggles and impressing Catarina by singing Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer when the kids begged for it. He debated which was his favorite reindeer, settling it by saying that his reindeer were like his children, he liked them all equally. He ate cookies and milk with them, promising to save room for what they would leave on Christmas Eve. Then he went with Catarina to visit the patients were couldn't leave their rooms. Choking back emotions at the joy in their eyes when they saw Santa Claus come to them, he spent more minutes with each of them than Catarina expected.

Later, when they returned to the storage room and changed into their regular clothes, Alec took a long, deep breath before he turned to face her. "Did I do okay?"

"More than okay, Lightwood," she said with a grin. "Some of the nurses asked if I could get you to come back next year. You were much more patient than our usual guy and everybody thought you were actually comfortable and maybe having fun."

"I was," he said quickly. "I mean… I know they're sick and hurt and… but they needed it. Right?"

"Right. So… next year?"

"I'll be here. But don't ask me to be the Easter Bunny. No animal costumes. That's my line that I won't cross." He laughed with her and sat down to pull on his boots. "Listen… do you need… like… volunteers to come in and… do stuff?"

Catarina could hardly believe her blue ears. Fairly certain a Nephilim, granted one of the better ones, had just offered to volunteer with mundane kids at a hospital, she was quick to jump on the offer. "Yes. Absolutely. A lot of the parents have to work full-time so the kids are here with just us nurses for company. It helps to have someone, you know, non-medical to play video games and read books and things like that. Why? Are you interested in that?"

He chewed his bottom lip and, finally, nodded as he stood up. "Yeah. I am."

Magnus wasn't there to see it, and be bothered by it, but she kissed him again.

He didn't sputter nearly as much that time.

Catarina knew two days later the real impression the experience had made on Alec Lightwood when she got a copy of what she assumed was Alec's Christmas gift from Magnus. It came in the form of a note to her, which read -

The actual check has been sent to the proper place. I'm trusting you to see it through, Loss.

Isn't my boyfriend amazing?

MB

And in the form of an anonymous check for the full $1.5 million Beth Israel had been raising for a recreation center in the children's wing, meant to house toys, books, games, and all the other things that might make children forget for a few moments. The only stipulation on the check was that it be called Max's Place.

Catarina pocketed both pieces of paper and wonder if Alec had cried when Magnus told him.

So… did you like it? Please tell me! And remember, suggestions welcome!