EDITED 5/30/2020
Alec stood, leaning against the brick wall of the loft. Magnus sat on the couch, hunched forward and his hands clasped. Neither were speaking, and neither were looking at the other.
Alec's arms were wrapped around himself. His eyes were unfocused, unseeing as he gazed down at the dark, wooden floor of Magnus' loft.
"I guess I just don't understand." Jace said, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed as he looked at his Parabatai, confused.
"I just can't do it right now." Alec sighed, twining his fingers into his hair and pulling. "Not so soon after-" his voice broke.
"Not so soon after Max died." Alec tried again. "How can I try and make this into something good?"
"This isn't you trying to make light of Max's death." Jace explained. "This is you, wanting to be the person that you love. No one can fault you for that."
Alec let out a big breath and forced himself to look up at the man sitting on the couch. He was hunched over, looking like he was trying to make himself smaller. It didn't suit the usually confident Warlock.
"Magnus." Alec called softly.
Magnus slowly raised his head to make contact.
"You said you wanted to talk." Alec reminded him.
"You promised me you wouldn't leave. You promised me forever. Three weeks ago, while you laid bleeding on that floor. You told me forever." Magnus told him, his voice was void of emotion as he looked at his soulmate with tear filled eyes. "So I can't begin to understand why I feel like you are leaving me right now. Why I feel as though you are slipping through my fingers as I stand there, paralyzed, powerless to stop it."
"I'm not leaving you." Alec protested, pushing himself off the wall and taking a few steps towards Magnus. "I'm right here, Mags. I'm right here. I'm staying. For you, for our daughter."
"It doesn't feel that way!" Magnus seethed, standing up from his spot on the couch. "You've distanced yourself, Alexander. I know how hard this must be for you, I know this is horrible, unimaginable. But you can't go through this by yourself. When something unthinkable happens you are supposed to lean on those you love, not push them away."
"I'm - I'm not trying to!" Alec stuttered. "I'm not trying to push you away. I just don't know how to do this? How am I supposed to get over this? I was supposed to protect him."
"Horrible things happen everyday, Alexander. They happen to everyone, all over the world. You never think that it would happen to you, but this time it did. I wish it hadn't, I'm so sorry. But that doesn't mean it's your fault, darling."
"I was supposed to be at the Institute, I left. It was my fault."
"It could've still happened had you been there. You might've been in a meeting, or a briefing or somewhere else in the Institute. Just because you were out ring shopping doesn't mean that you're to blame for this."
Alec blanched, stumbling backwards a step, eyes wide and face suddenly white as paper.
"Alexander?" Magnus took a step towards him, hand outstretched in concern.
"How did you know -?" Alec asked, voice hoarse.
"Shit." Magnus cursed. He took a deep breath and reached out, taking Alec's hand. "You went out drinking, with Simon. After you got completely wasted, Simon contacted me. I showed up and you spilled everything. You asked us to keep it a secret. I suppose I'm not necessarily surprised that you haven't popped the question yet, but." He shrugged, letting the end of his statement hang there in the silence between them.
"I just felt so guilty." Alec whispered, looking down at their entwined hands, squeezing Magnus' hand. "Deep down, I know it isn't my fault. Just like Jocelyn. But I can't help it. Thinking there might've been something I could do."
Magnus reached up with his free hand and brushed Alec's bangs back from his face. "There was nothing you could've done Alec. There's nothing you can change. What's done is done."
Alec nodded and leaned in, pressing a kiss to Magnus' head. "I know." He murmured against his boyfriend's hair. "And that's why I have to do this." He stepped away from Magnus, releasing his hand.
"I love you." Alec told Magnus. "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. The feelings I had for Jace, they look weak and pathetic when compared to the intense and powerful feelings I hold for you. Magnus, my feelings for you, they will never fade, or fizz out. They will hold true over time and they will only grow stronger. Before we adopted Madzie, I didn't think I could love you more than I did then, but then I saw you with her. The way that you interact with her. The way that you so flawlessly love her. And seeing that, it made me love you, not more, but harder. I loved you harder after that. And every time I see you with Clary, or with Izzy, or when I saw you with Max. Every-time I get to bear witness to your pure heart, to the way that you love so freely and so unconditionally, I love you harder. And so, I came to the decision that I couldn't go another day without knowing that you'd be mine forever. That what we have, won't die out. That's why I asked Clary to go with me to buy you a ring. I'd wanted to give you the family ring, but I could only imagine what my mother would've said." Alec chuckled sadly and lowered himself down to one knee, pulling the ring from his pocket. "Magnus Bane. Will you marry me, Alec Lightwood?"
Magnus stared down at the beautiful Shadowhunter kneeling in front of him. He wanted to say yes. By the Angel, he wanted to say yes so desperately. His Alexander was the only lover he'd ever had that had ever even considered marrying him. But he couldn't do this, not if Alec was doing this for the wrong reasons.
"Alexander." Magnus whispered as he lowered himself to crouch in front of the hopeful man. "Are you sure that this is what you want? Are you sure, this soon after? I don't want you to feel like you have to do this just because I know it's what you intended."
"This is what I want. More than anything. You're what I want, Magnus. I want you. Every part of you. In every way that I can get you. I can't imagine losing you. Not after the loss that I've endured. Please, Magnus. Please. I want to be your husband." He gestured, using the ring, to prove his point.
Magnus leaned into him, pressing a kiss to his lips before pulling back and holding his left hand out. "Yes." Magnus whispered. "Of course I'll marry you."
Alec sobbed softly, pushing the ring onto Magnus' left ring finger. Magnus kissed Alec again, a quick peck to his lips before he waved a hand, catching something small and silver in his hand.
"On one condition." He continued. Holding up a silver ring. "You marry me, too."
Alec grinned, tears of pure joy rolling down his cheeks. "Yes." He held his hand up and Magnus slid the ring onto his fiancé's finger.
Magnus grabbed Alec's face in between his hands and pressed their lips together.
"Aku Cinta Kamu." Magnus whispered, pulling back.
"Have you notified the Verlac family yet?" Imogen inquired.
She was in Alicante, video-conferencing with Alec, Clary and Jace.
"The Penhallow daughter, Aline, will deliver the message in person, Madame Inquisitor. " Alec answered her.
"Defiling the body of a fallen soldier and turning it into a booby trap is sadly, par for the course with Valentine, isn't it?" She remarked sadly.
"The possessing demon wouldn't have done this on it's own." Alec told her. "The trap had to have been set using the mortal cup to command it."
"So he had it all along."
"And out intel shows that he's also in possession of the mortal sword."
"Do you have any good news for me today, Mister Lightwood?" Imogen sighed.
"Valentine and Jonathan believe that the New York Institute is in possession of the Mortal Mirror. They won't leave the city without it."
"Thank the Angel that at least he wasn't able to find that." Imogen said, although she did not appear to be too relieved.
"We were." Alec informed her. He turned back to his sister. "Clary..."
"My connection with the Angel led us to it." Clary stated. "It's in Idris. The mirror is Lake Lyn."
Imogen sat back in her chair, shocked. "That's the very same water that Raziel first rose from." She took a shaky breath. "Who else knows about this?"
"Unfortunately the number of people we can trust is getting smaller by the day. We thought it best to tell you first." Jace answered.
When Imogen didn't reply, Jace continued. "We'd like to officially request soldiers from the Guard to be placed in the surrounding woods around the Lake. It may only be a matter of time before Valentine realizes he's been had."
Imogen nodded. "I'll speak to Consul Malachi about deployment at once."
Jace nodded and Imogen ended the call. Alec reached forward and shut the tablet off.
"So what do we do now?" Jace asked as he rounded the desk.
"There's only nine million people in the area." Clary said sourly. "How hard will it be to find two?"
"The job is too big to go alone." Alec added. "We need to ask for help."
"From who, Alec?" Jace asked, shaking his head.
"Everyone." Alec shrugged, standing up.
Alec moved to walk away when his sister suddenly caught his left hand in both of hers.
"Is that what I think it is?" She gasped, holding his hand up, letting his engagement ring catch the light.
"You proposed?" Jace asked, a grin gracing his features.
Alec nodded, letting a small smile lift the corners of his lips.
"I did." He confirmed. "And I was wondering if you would be my suggens again?" He asked Jace.
"I'd be honored." Jace rounded the desk again and pulled Alec into an embrace. "I'm so happy for you, brother."
"Thank you," Alec grinned, smacking his brother on the back as they pulled away from each other. "And as for you, little sister," Alec smiled down at Clary. "I was going to ask you to stand with me as well, but Magnus called dibs. I'm sure you'll be getting an earful from him tonight, when you go home."
"I look forward to it." Clary beamed as she moved forward and smacked a kiss to Alec's cheek.
"But," Alec continued. "In the meantime, do you mind helping me with something?"
While Alec and Clary worked on their "secret project" that Jace apparently wasn't privy to, Jace and Izzy made their rounds to the Downworlder Leaders to ask their help. Isabelle paid visits to The Seelie Realm and Raphael Santiago while Jace took care of Luke Garroway and Magnus.
Already having finished with Luke, who readily agreed to assist in the hunt for his former Parabatai, Jace knocked on the door of Magnus' loft.
The door swung open, revealing Magnus on the other side.
"Magnus, hey." Jace said, uncomfortable. "Can I, uh, can I come in?"
Magnus' brow furrowed, gazing at the blonde Shadowhunter in concern and mild alarm. He wasn't used to seeing him turn up at his door. Certainly not when Alec wasn't there. "Of course." He stepped aside, allowing Jace to walk past. "Is everything okay? Is Alexander . . .?"
"Alec's fine." Jace interrupted, not letting Magnus finish that train of thought. "He's just busy, working on something else, so he sent me to speak with you. We have reason to believe that Valentine has both the Mortal Cup and the Mortal Sword in his possession. He currently believes that we have the remaining Mortal Instrument hidden in the Institute. Neither he nor Jonathan are likely to leave the city without it. So, the Institute is reaching out to the Downworld leaders for assistance. We can't catch Valentine alone. So, we're requesting the Warlock's help in searching for Valentine."
Magnus nodded. "You have it. I'll make sure that my people are keeping an eye out for them. In fact, I'll call a meeting right now."
"Thank you." Jace let out a breath of relief, accepting Magnus' friendly handshake,
When Magnus returned home from his meeting with the other Warlocks of New York, he'd expected a few things to be waiting for him: Chairman Meow, His soon-to-be sister-in-law, his daughter, and a very comfortable couch.
Clary had arrived home just before Magnus was leaving, saving him from having to send Madzie to the Institute to be watched by her very busy father.
What he hadn't expected when he'd arrived home was a pile of boxes, Alexander and Wesley.
He walked in the front door and saw the four of them standing around, looking through the boxes. Clary and Wesley were off to one side of the stack, looking at what appeared to be a photo album while Alec was standing with Madzie perched on his hip examining a thick book.
"What's happening here?" Magnus asked cheerfully, swooping in for a kiss from his fiancé, and a peck on the cheek from his daughter.
"Hey, Magnus." Clary greeted, placing the album back in one of the boxes and leading Wesley down the hallway towards her room.
"Um," Alec suddenly looked very uncertain. "Well, remember a couple weeks back? When you asked Clary to move in? I said I would look into the rules about The Head of the Institute living at the Institute. I didn't forget about that, the Clave was just giving me a hard time about it. They probably knew I was asking so I could move in with you." Alec took a deep breath. "There's no rule. So, surprise?"
Magnus chuckled at Alec's very awkward way of explaining the situation, but he looked around at the boxes that were so neatly stacked, away in the corner of the room. He realized that those boxes contained Alec's things. The boxes that were stacked there, in Magnus' living room. In Magnus, and Madzie's living room. In Magnus and Madzie's and Clary's living room. In Magnus and Madzie's and Clary's and Alec's living room. The thought brought tears to his eyes. Never in all of his years, decades and centuries did Magnus ever think that this would be something that he'd be so fortunate to have. Sisters, a daughter, a fiancé. A home. Of course, Magnus had lived places before. But that was all they had been. Places. But this place, with people he loved, and people who loved him, that's what really made it a home.
Alec caught sight of the tears. "I should've asked first. I'm so sorry. When we talked about it I thought you'd meant, I misunderstood. I'm so sorry."
"Alexander." Magnus smoothly interrupted. "We're engaged. We have a child together. Your sister is living with me. I think it's about damn time you moved in. I'm not upset. I'm more happy than I've ever been in my life. I can't seem to figure out how I got so lucky." Magnus reached out and cupped Alec's cheek with his hand.
"Oh." Alec replied lamely. "Well, that's good."
"Daddy." Madzie whined impatiently. "I wanna see the book again." She pulled at Alec's leather jacket, demonstrating her impatience with ease.
Alec chuckled and handed her the book he'd been holding at his side before placing her on her feet. "Go show Auntie Clary and Uncle Wes." He instructed. Both men watched as she ran off down the hall with a "Thanks, Daddy." Thrown over her shoulder.
Magnus smiled as he moved in closer to Alec. He grabbed his left hand in his and stroked the ring on his finger lovingly. "Welcome home, Alexander." Magnus whispered as he leaned in for a kiss.
"It's about damn time." Alec replied with a smirk as he let his eyes flutter closed.
I updated on Sunday! Yay! Coming up, we'll be sticking to the episodes a little more so we can get this show on the road. I plan on updating before Sunday and also getting a chapter out on Sunday, we will see how that goes, no promises here. But we all know what's coming! The lake Lyn scene will be happening in the next few chapters! I want to hear what you think is going to happen. You all know how I like to change things up, so comment down below and if you get it right you get to choose from the following:
1. Shoutout
2. Chapter Dedication
3. Minor character named after you
4. I'll follow you
So let's hear it guys! What is the next change coming up? Comment, Vote, and Follow! Love you all!