Standing in front of the open, closet door was Alexander Lightwood. He had his shirt rolled up and was turned sideways, looking at himself in the mirror hanging on the door. It was remarkable how much he had grown in these nine months. Having a flat muscular stomach seemed like a distant past to him now. There was a small smile planted on his lips. He had never been one to show his emotions, frankly because he was usually annoyed most of his life with a sarcastic brother, a talkative, intrusive sister, and ,well, max usually kept to himself, but he really was happy. He had never really thought of kids, seeing for a fact that he was gay and still is. Truth be told, he never was a big kid person, but the idea of having a child with Magnus was the most beautiful thought he had ever had. He could already see Magnus feeding it a bottle or playing peek-a-boo and really disappearing or the two of them passing the toddler back and forth teaching it how to walk. His smile grew as he rubbed his stomach. The baby would be coming in less than a month. The due date was the fifteenth of September and it was already the first.

They had a lot of thing done so far like locking up anything that contained any unbaby-friendly substances in them. He had checked out the karate studio down the street. It was good. It had some pretty nice equipment and it took up a good deal of an old factory building. Like most things around here, it was renovated from these old buildings that were used as factories in the early twentieth century, when they were popular, before they had to close, like most other businesses, when the Great Depression came along, as Magnus he told him. They had stayed pretty abandoned until the seventies when the city and some big money realtors fixed up the place and turned it into a higher class neighborhood. Across the street and down a couple apartments, in between two building was an entrance into a nice little park in the center of a few buildings. It was a nice neighborhood to raise a child in. You really didn't have to worry about your kid walking out the front door and getting mugged. That was a nice thought, considering the fact he had never really thought of Brooklyn as safe, until he started 'dating' Magnus. Then some parts were safe.

Mrs. Garcia, who ran the local bodega, was even more pregnant then Alec and was expecting another boy to go with her nine year old son. Lucas, the nine-year-old's name if the shadowhunter remembered right, went to the dojo, which is how Alexander came to meet Mrs. Garcia. He had told her that he and his boyfriend were expecting to adopt a baby really soon. He didn't know why he told her. Magnus had glamoured him so that even most downworlders couldn't tell he was pregnant or thought had gotten fat so she couldn't tell , but when he did she was really interested. She asked questions like when is it coming and if they knew the gender and if they knew what it's going to look like. He really was appreciative that she cared. She was kind of like a confident to him. Someone he talked to when he had a question he knew Magnus didn't have the answer to.

Even though Alec thought that mundanes were pretty well useless, he didn't have any one else to talk to. He couldn't talk to his own kind seeing as they usually looked at him funny and most couldn't relate at all when it came to downworlders nephilim relationships. He couldn't even talk to Isabelle, because her idea of taking care of a kid was to lock them in a room with some comic books and chips, and called it a day. Downworlders weren't much of a help. They could get noisy after awhile, and they couldn't know it is a half warlock baby because that would draw massive suspicion. Warlock parents were usually mundanes who had no idea what was going on with their kid. That left Mrs. Garcia to call when he had a question. Like the other day when he asked if it was ok that they hadn't picked out a name yet. She already knew that Magnus knew the gender and wouldn't tell Alec. She told him that it was alright and that a lot of parents didn't have a name until they saw their baby.

Alexander and Magnus had decided that they wanted to try their child in everything it was capable of. It would go to the dojo before it was old enough to train and Alec would teach it about runes and the differences of demons, the basic things you learned before coming of age. Magnus would teach it how to use magic and keep itself and others safe even though it wouldn't really be able to do much until a round puberty. They seemed to have a plan for the basics down and things ready, but it still felt like they were nowhere near ready, and the due date was getting close.

Alec had read in a book, that didn't have pictures, that babies are calmed by the sound of their mothers voice, which is why Magnus had stated to sing softly around the nephilim and a half saying he wanted it to be calmed by his voice too, even though Alec would tell him that his voice was naturally calming, but there was no complaints from the younger man. He loved the sound of his warlock's voice.

"Hello, Baby." Alec said to his stomach, rubbing his thumb ever so softly on it." I'm your daddy. Well, one of them anyway, but you will learn that later. I don't even know how it happened, though I think Magnus isn't telling me something. I won't find out till he wants to tell me, which will probably be at the last possible moment, knowing him. ." He started to laugh light heartedly," You're going to have one strange life. You may look different from the people around you, with cat eyes or no belly button or a mark all your own, but you will always be beautiful to me, no matter how the world and some of my family may see you."

Alec and his mother had yet to patch things up between them. He didn't even know if his father knew he is pregnant. His mother and father weren't on steady ground and haven't been since max died. Robert would be gone for months on end just to come back for two tense, stress filled days and leave again. Alec hadn't talked to him since- Maybe he wasn't a month pregnant?- and that conversation was quite strained. Alec didn't think that his parents were going to stay together much longer. All things considered they were unofficially separated. His father had bought a home in Idris and came back to make it look like he was still 'banned' from Alicante, but honestly he didn't think the clave cared too much anymore. Not with them fighting in the war against Valentine.

It still hurt that his mother never really accepted him being gay, and it hurt even more knowing what she thought of Magnus and their baby. In some way Alec would like to know what his father felt toward him. Robert had shaken Magnus' hand and greeted him, but didn't say much more. Deep down Alec knew that his father was disappointed in his son and probably in himself for not raising right and making sure he turned out normal. He had no idea what his father would think of him now. He knew his mom would take it bad, but he honestly didn't know what he would think of this pregnancy. They never had a close relationship. It was rare they even had a conversation. Alec was expected to continue the lightwood line, but not like this. More like pure nephilim blood and him not actually being the one expecting the baby.

Shocked out of his thoughts by a loud ringing, he pulled his shirt down and turned around fast, like a child who got caught doing something he shouldn't. He rolled his eyes at himself when he realized it was just his phone ringing from his bed.

"Yes?" He said a bit harsh, he was tired, irritable, and mad at himself for being jumpy at the sound of his own cell phone.

"A-alec." Came his sister's quivering voice.

"Iz, are you ok? What's up? Did Simon do something to you, because if-"

"God, Alec, Simon hasn't done anything. It's mom and dad." Her voice getting quieter after every word.

"Oh." Was all he could say.

"They're getting a divorce."

"Oh, Iz. Do you want me to co-"He sighed, "Would you like to come over, and how's Jace?"

"He locked himself in his room and won't come out. I would text Clary, but I think you should be here. He needs his older brother, and I need you too. We miss you." It was true he hadn't seen them much lately and he felt really bad about that. He also needed them. They may have disowned him, but they were still his parents and it hurt to know that they really were getting a divorce.

"Are they still there?" He asked.

"Who, mom and dad? Yeah I think so."

"Did you see which way they went?" He asked looking for his boots.

"I think they went up to the conference rooms."

"I'll be there in a minute. Meet me at Jace's room." He hung up before she could respond. Alec walked out of the room and into the hallway. He knocked on the door with a hot pink piece of paper taped on it that, written in blue glitter, read-

Do not open

until the baby's birthday.

(That means you Alec)

"Magnus, you still in there?" He called through the door. A few seconds later a bright, smiling face poked through the door. Magnus' smile dropped when he saw his love's melancholy face.

"Is something wrong, Dear?" He asked closing the door behind him, and put his arms around his shadowhunter's waist.

"My parents are getting a divorce." Alec said calmly.

"I'm so sorry, Alec." Magnus leaned over and kissed the boy's forehead, "This must be hard for you. Do you want to talk about it?"

Alec shook his head, "No, I figured this would happen. It's probably better this way, but I need to be with Isabelle and get Jace to leave his room."

"Are you going to meet them outside or something?" He said cautiously. Not wanting to add anymore bad feeling to the mix.

"No, I'm going to sneak in."


Alec took a deep breath when he stepped on the front step of the institute. The place seemed so familiar, but not at all at the same time. He was so used to coming here daily for training that it was a hard habit to break when he woke not to get ready for morning training. He checked the door and found it unlocked. Izzy must have unlocked it for him after he called. He debated whether he should take the elevator of the stairs. Knowing his family they hadn't fixed the creakiness of the elevator. So he opted for the stairs, even though he knew it was going to hurt his swollen feet, and make him more tired than he already was. The last thing he needed was a confrontation with his parents as to why he was here. After he made his way up the stairs, he saw Isabelle sitting in front of his brother's door.

"Alec, dammit!" She whisper yelled, looking around franticly, "You could get caught. Mom and dad could tell the clave, and best case scenario, you wake up in a cell!" She stood up and wiped some stray tears from her face.

"I know." He hugged her, "Any luck with Jace?"

She shook her head, "No. He hasn't made a sound other than this irritating tapping noise."

He knocked softly on Jace's door. "Open up, Jace. It's me Alec." No answer, "I sneaked in here to be with you guys. If I get caught I have no Idea what mom or dad will do and what they do to me they do to my baby. Do you want to be responsible for the safety of your niece or nephew, or do you want to let me in." The tapping noise stopped, and for a second Alec thought he wasn't going to come out, but he did. Jace stood in the door way, looking scary calm.

"You had to play the baby card didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. Now can I come in, or do you want to talk out here?"

"There's nothing to talk about. Mayris and Robert are getting a divorce. Lots of people do." He said, still terribly calm.

"Yes, but not all people are your parents." Alec said pushing Jace into his room by his shoulders. Isabelle followed and closed the door behind her. They stood there in silence for a minute, Jace looking anywhere, but at them, Alec trying to get his attention with his eyes, and Izzy, leaning against the wall waiting for something interesting to happen.

"No matter how fun the little family reunion is, I bet I could find something better to do then stand here do

ing nothing." Jace commented.

"You're upset." Stated Alexander.

"Do I look upset?" He retaliated.

"For you, yes. You look really upset."

"There is nothing to be upset about. Nothing is going to change. Robert is going to ignore us. Mayris is going to continue to ignore us, and you're going to continue to ignore as well, now with your soon to be big happy family, while the only lightwood family remains to be me and Izzy!" On any other day Alec would have punched him one good in the nose, he had to put an arm up to stop his sister from doing the same thing, but he knew Jace was just trying to punish himself and the only way he knew how was to take it out on the people he loved. Alec, In an action he didn't do often, hugged his brother in an awkwardly bended hug. His stomach had a way of getting in the way sometimes.

"I'm sorry." Alec whispered over Jace's shoulder, "I didn't know I was hurting you so much. I miss you guys t

oo. It's really hard not to come over and see you two, " This time Isabelle had from behind Alec, and hugged her brothers around their necks. "I love you both, and I will try my best to be with you more." They stood there in an awkward silence.

"However meaningful, this is getting weird." Said Jace, pulling away.

"Yeah"

"Agreed" Confirmed Iz.

"And for the record, I only let you in cause I like your baby better than I like you." Jace said, crossing his arms across his chest. He couldn't stop the thought that his brother sneaked in just to talk to him. He didn't think that Alec had the guts. Alec rolled his eyes.

"You can be a fat as-" He was stopped by the opening of the bedroom door. Standing there was Robert Lightwood.

"Jace, Mayris-"He started until his eyes landed on his dark haired son.


AN- Not that much action this chaptor (tell me if I'm putting to much thoughts and not enough action please), but there will be the next chaptor. Thanks for reading!

Victoria