Circa City of Glass
Alec opened his eyes to two blobs of red hovering in front of him. He blinked a couple of times, when his vision cleared a bit, he saw his mother's and Clary's heads on either side of him on the bed he was laying on. each of them was holding one of his hands.
"Mom?" his voice was hoarse. They mustn't have been sleeping too deeply, because both heads instantly perked up at the sound of it.
"Alec, oh god, my baby," Jocelyn cried and practically flew to crush him in her embrace. "Oh, thank the Angel, you're awake."
"What happened?" Alec asked, "The last thing I remember Valentine was..." he squinted.
"Valentine's dead," Clary said.
"He's what?"Alec exclaimed.
"Raziel knew what he'd done to Ithuriel, what he'd done to you."
"But that doesn't make any sense," Alec said, "With the mortal instruments, he should have had complete control over Raziel."
And Clary told him about how she tricked Valentine, about, 'Mene mene tekel upharsin,' and Alec laughed. "He never saw you, never saw how brilliant you were, what you were capable of. Serves him right. By underestimating you, he brought an end to his empire and the beginning of a new one."
Jocelyn didn't say anything.
"It's good to see you, Mom," Alec said quietly, a somber smile on his face. "My condolences on the death of your husband."
Jocelyn smoothed his hair back and said, "He stopped being the man I loved a very long time ago, Alexander. Especially after what he did to you, and Clary and the Herondale boy and - "
"And your son," Alec finished for her. "Where is he? Did you find him?"
"He's dead, too. Jace and Isabelle got him. Alec, you need to know something... Jonathan, he... he killed Max," Clary said.
"I know," Alec replied. "He told me."
"Alec - "
"If it all the same to you, Mom, I'd rather not talk about it."
"You have to know that - "
"I already know everything, Mom."
"Alec, you deserve an explanation for this," Clary said. "She lied to you your entire life. She lied to us."
"Clary, that's enough."
"How can you be okay with not growing up with your real family? How can you ever forgive her for that?"
"I can forgive her because I know that she..." Alec trailed off. "Having met my 'real' family, I can tell you one thing with certainty. I'd pick her and you. Every time."
Alec turned to Jocelyn and remembered Magnus once telling him and Clary that Jocelyn wasn't the kind of woman who would cry easily. "Mom?" He asked quietly, trying not to cry himself. "I forgive you because I know you did it for us."
"Alec, sweetheart, I -"
"Let me finish. I had a lot of time to think about what you did when you were asleep. It's been a month since I've spoken to you. I think that was enough time for me to make up my mind. I'm not going to deny that ethically, taking me from my parents was wrong. It was kidnapping, even though it was in my best interests. But I can't deny that I exist today, like this, as a person who is proud of himself, because you protected me from the Clave. So I forgive you for leaving the Shadow World behind for us. And I forgive you because I know you won't forgive yourself." He ran a hand through his dark hair and asked, "Do you remember when I told you I was gay?"
Jocelyn looked surprised for a moment. "I remember. You acted like you were angry, defiant, but I knew you were more scared and worried than anything else."
Alec gave her a sort of half-smile. "You said you didn't understand it, but it didn't change the fact that I was your son. That you would always love me because I was your son."
Jocelyn threw her arms around Alec again and sobbed into his chest.
"My boy, my beautiful boy," she cried.
"I know why you took me with you when you left Idris," Alec said. "I would have been turned into a weapon by the Clave if you hadn't. I'm sure Robert Lightwood would have been delighted to hand the vessel of an angel over to them. But you saved me from that. And I forgive you. Just ell me one thing," Alec said, "Was I a replacement for Jonathan? Was I replacement for your real son?"
"Oh, Alec, no, you were never that. Never. You are my real son. You didn't grow inside my womb, you grew inside my heart. And I thank the stars every day for bringing you into my life. I took you from the Fairchild manor that day because it was burning down, and you - you were in the bushes and I couldn't stay there. I knew what Valentine had done - and the thought of - the thought of leaving you to the Clave's mercy was enough to make the decision for me, but that doesn't in any way, negate the fact that you are my son in every way that matters."
"I needed to hear you say that," Alec said. "I needed to know - I promise you, I'm never going to doubt you again, Mom. Never."
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