EDITED 5/30/2020
Magnus was saying something to him. But Alec wasn't sure what it was. He was too busy watching the way that Magnus was standing beside their daughter in their kitchen. Madzie was kneeling on one of their dining room chairs helping Magnus roll out the dough for cookies and picking out which cookie cutters she liked best.
Alec watched the way that Magnus' eyes lit up each time he looked at either Madzie or Alec, the way that his smiles brightened every time that Madzie laughed when Magnus sent magical butterflies in her direction. Honestly, it was just everything about the man. His smile, his laugh, the way that his voice softened every time he spoke to their daughter, his hair, the way that he dressed. Alec just leaned back against the Island and smiled gently, he was in a state of awe as Magnus looked over his shoulder and smiled at Alec again. He was still talking when he turned to Alec but Alec still didn't hear it.
"I love you." Alec blurted out.
Magnus blinked, his mouth still partially open from where he had been in the middle of forming a word. His mouth closed and he smiled, the love in his eyes was so intense that Alec could practically feel his heart melting. "I love you too, my darling." Magnus replied. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"
Alec could feel his face and ears turn red from embarrassment. "Uh," He pushed himself up off the island. "Not really. No."
Magnus smiled fondly and shook his head. He helped Madzie down off of the chair and helped her, hand over hand, put the cookies in the oven. Magnus handed Madzie a spoon with some dough on it before waltzing over to Alec. He took him by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him into a sweet kiss. Magnus moved to pull back but Alec followed him, prolonging the kiss.
Magnus finally managed to pull back, laughing. "Alexander." He grinned, pressing his forehead to Alec's smiling brightly. "I have to set the timer, and we have to finish cooking that stew you wanted to make."
"I've got it." Alec smiled. He raised a hand and snapped his fingers. Before he shook his head and blinked slowly. "I don't. I just.."
Magnus smiled sadly and reached up grabbing Alec's hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing it. He snapped his fingers behind his back, setting the timer and fixing the stew.
"It's alright, darling. I know. It's okay." Magnus released Alec's hand and instead brushed his fingers over Alec's cheek.
"I guess I didn't realize that I'd miss my magic so much once I got James' memories back. My memories."
Magnus frowned a little and pressed another quick kiss to Alec's lips. "I'm sorry darling."
Alec shook his head slowly. "Will you never understand?" Alec asked gently, smiling as if he were amused. "I would give anything up for you. I would do anything in the world for you. I can't live without you, Magnus. Literally. In every life I've ever lived, I've found you. I've loved you. You're everything to me. And there may have been times where I've been an idiot. I'll never forgive myself for Imasu and Etta's actions, but me, Alec, I love you more than life itself. James loved you more than life itself, and his last thoughts were of you."
Magnus grabbed Alec's face in his hands and pressed his lips against his own, urgently. He swiped his tongue along Alec's lips seeking entrance to the mouth that he knew better than his own. Alec granted it quickly, taking Magnus by the hips and turning them around so that Magnus was trapped between the Island and his fiancé. Magnus moved his hands so that he had his arms wrapped around Alec's neck, his wrists locked behind his head as he lazily explored Alec's mouth. Alec returned Magnus' attentions tenfold.
Clary stopped short as she entered the kitchen and was met by the sight of her brother passionately making out with his fiancé.
"Oh." Clary said, making Alec practically leap away from Magnus. "Um, should I like, um leave or?"
"Nonsense, Biscuit." Magnus smiled, running his thumb across his bottom lip and moving past Alec, reaching a hand out to lovingly run his fingertips down the other man's arm as he walked past to check on the stew. "You ready for this dinner?"
"Not exactly." She said as she moved further into the kitchen. Alec approached her and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his side. "Um, I sent Madzie to her room to pick some bows out. I told her I'd do her hair once one of you picks out her dress."
"I'll do it." Alec told her. "Mom will be here in less than an hour. If you aren't ready, get ready."
"Where's Isabelle?" Magnus asked as Alec frantically finished setting the table.
"Going on a mission with Underhill, which means it's just me tonight." Alec said with a sigh.
"What are we?" Clary asked, coming out into the dining room with Madzie's hand in hers. "Chopped liver?"
"Mom thinks you walk on water." Alec told her. "You killed Valentine, you're a hero. I am the black sheep of the family that kissed a male Downworlder at my own wedding in front of a bunch of fancy members of the Clave, then proposed to that same Downworlder and adopted a Downworlder daughter. She's going to tear me apart tonight."
"If she does that, I won't hesitate to throw her out. Soon-to-be Mother-in-law or no." Magnus told him. "You aren't alone here. You have me, Clary and our daughter."
"Yeah." Alec smiled. "I do. Um, I invited Raphael when I went to go see him. He might show up, he said he would think about it."
Magnus smiled and nodded. There was a soft knock on the door and Alec froze. "Okay," He turned to Magnus, Clary and Madzie but addressed the two adults. "Remember. Mom is on edge and that means avoiding sensitive subjects, like Dad or like that I turned down that job at the Clave,"
"Or the fact that you're engaged to a dastardly warlock?" Magnus suggested.
Alec sighed. "I'm sorry. Am I being terrible?"
"No, no, no." Magnus reassured him. "You're just tense. Here." He handed Alec a glass of some sort of alcohol. "Drink this."
Alec took the glass and drained it in one gulp, handing the cup back to Magnus who looked at it in shock. Magnus then turned to Clary who was also looking at Alec with wide eyes. They had never seen him like this before.
"I'm okay." Alec said more to himself than anyone else. "You're okay?" He asked Magnus.
"Oh, I'm okay." Magnus hurriedly agreed.
"Okay." Alec brushed past Magnus to go answer the door.
"He's okay." He put the glass down and went to follow Alec. "Biscuit, you and sweet pea just take a seat at the table. We've got this." He instructed over his shoulder.
Alec opened the door for Maryse who had a black jacket slung over one arm and a bottle of some sort of alcohol in her other hand, she smiled widely and spread her arms.
"My boys!" She laughed gleefully and walked straight into Magnus' arms hugging him tightly before doing the same for Alec.
"I'm far from being a boy, but I appreciate the sentiment." Magnus quipped.
"My apologies." Maryse smiled, handing the bottle to Alec. "I should respect my elders."
Maryse laughed again and continued on into the dining room, hugging Clary and offering Madzie a confused smile.
"Can I get you a drink?" Alec asked.
"How about a round of Magnus' famous cocktails?" She suggested, taking a seat next to Clary.
Alec watched her in shock. "This is your mother on edge?" Magnus asked, easing the bottle from Alec's hands before following after her.
Magnus whipped up the requested cocktails for him, Maryse and Clary. Alec had declined, wanting at least one of them to be sober enough to take care of Madzie.
Alec and Magnus sat on either side of Madzie with Maryse in between Alec and Clary. Maryse was still eyeing Madzie confusedly.
"So, um, what's your name sweetie?" Maryse asked her nicely.
Before anyone could stop her Madzie grinned proudly and answered the woman. "My name is Madzie Lightwood-Bane."
"Lightwood-Bane?" Maryse asked, sitting back a little in shock.
Madzie nodded. "Like my Daddy and Papa."
Maryse looked at Alec. "Is that right?"
"Magnus and I adopted Madzie almost two months ago." Alec told his mother.
"They're amazing dads." Clary spoke up, eyeing her mother as if she expected her to lash out.
"Of that I have no doubt." Maryse said. "I'm just sorry that I've acted in such a way that you felt you couldn't tell me."
"Uhm," Magnus started to say hesitantly. "While we are clearing the air, you might as well know that Alexander also proposed to me. And I accepted."
"You're engaged?" Maryse asked, almost like she couldn't believe it.
"Yes." Alec said in a way that he was making it clear that he was daring her to say anything bad about it.
"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order." Maryse smiled, placing a hand over Alec's. "When's the wedding? What planning have you done?"
"Oh, uh." Alec stuttered, looking over at Magnus.
"We actually haven't planned anything yet." Magnus interrupted smoothly.
"What?" Maryse gasped. "Are you planning on having a long engagement? Why haven't you planned?"
"Honestly, Maryse." Magnus smiled. "If I could marry your son right this moment, I would. It's just been a little busy, lately."
"With Max and Jace." Maryse said sadly. "Right?"
"Mom..." Alec started to say, he set his fork down and sighed, looking down at the table sadly.
"No, Alec." Maryse told him gently but sternly. "You can't stop living your life just because your brothers lost theirs. I guarantee you that Jace would be furious with you if he knew you were avoiding getting married because he couldn't be your suggenes anymore."
Alec stared at her blankly for a moment before pulling his hand away from hers. "I never thought that I'd have to do this without him." He took a deep shuddering breath. "Either of them. The day Max died was the same day that I bought the ring. I proposed a couple of weeks later, and then Jace died. I want to get married, I want to plan our wedding, I want to be Magnus' husband more than anything. It's just hard. It's so hard, not feeling his heartbeat next to mine, not feeling his confidence, his joy, his adrenaline. I lost a part of my soul that I will never get back and I don't know how to deal with that. I have this weird feeling that I'm betraying that part of my soul by trying to make my heart whole. Because Magnus, he makes my heart whole." Alec turns to make eye contact with Magnus, who had tears in his eyes.
"You are not betraying him Alec. This is what Jace wanted. He was so excited, so happy for you. Mom is right. He'd be pissed." Clary told him.
"If I may be so bold as to ask to help plan, I think that we should start planning immediately." Maryse told them. "Well, tomorrow."
"That would be lovely, Maryse." Magnus accepted the offer.
Alec nodded. "We should start as soon as possible, because I want to be married as soon as possible."
"Well, if your mother and I work on it tomorrow, we could probably have the wedding Saturday." Magnus informed Alec.
"Today's Thursday." Clary told him. "You expect to have the wedding ready in one day?"
"I'm a warlock." Magnus told her seriously. "I can have everything done with a snap of my fingers. Does Saturday sound alright to you, my love?"
"Saturday is perfect." Alec grinned.
"Alright, then, would anyone care for a digestif?" Magnus asked.
"Mm... No, thank you." Maryse smiled. "I'm probably embarrassing Alec enough as it is."
"Oh, we're just happy to see you in such good spirits." Magnus told her.
"We thought you might be upset." Alec explained. "What with the..."
"Divorce and everything." Clary finished.
"I've made my peace with that." Maryse told him. "But your instincts are right. I do have some unpleasant news. I wanted Isabelle to be here, but you all need to know. In light of Malachi's coup, the Clave has reopened its investigation of former Circle members."
"You had nothing to do with Malachi." Alec told her.
"He tried to kill me, your daughter." Clary said. "Surely the Clave isn't that stupid."
"Still...based on a review of my actions in the circle, the Clave has reclassified me a traitor."
"What?" Alec asked.
"They're stripping me of my runes in a few days. After the Wedding, thankfully. It will be announced that I have been exiled from Alicante."
"What about Dad?" Alec asked.
"He was reassigned to the LA Institute as part of a deal." Maryse said.
"That's insane." Clary said.
"My punishment is more severe because my crimes were too." Maryse explained. "Back in the days of the Circle, I was convinced Valentine had all the answers. I recruited many good people, including your father. And together with Valentine, I orchestrated all the bloody details of the uprising."
"You got out, though." Clary said.
"Only after I knew we were doomed." Maryse said, tearfully. "Once I saw Valentine for who he really was, I couldn't believe what I had done. I vowed to devote the rest of my life to the Clave. But the charges against me are just."
"That's very noble of you, mom."
"Magnus." Maryse said. "I will never be able to tell you how very, very sorry I am. I have done so much evil, to you, to your people. I don't know how you can even stand to be in the same room as me, much less be sitting across this table from me, having me in your home, the same home as your child."
"You are not your mistakes, Maryse." Magnus told her. "Although it did take me awhile to forgive you, I love your son and your daughters far too much to continue holding a grudge against their mother. If you raised such wonderful children, you must not be that bad, right?"
Maryse gave the man a grateful smile. "Well then, thank you for this. All of you. It was a pleasure to meet you, Madzie."
Everyone rose from the table and they followed Maryse to the door.
"Tonight couldn't have been nicer." Maryse told them all.
"You're welcome anytime." Magnus said warmly.
"I'd appreciate it if you could keep our conversation to yourselves. I'd like to tell Isabelle myself."
"Of course." Alec nodded and moved forward, enveloping her into a hug before opening his arm to allow Clary to fit snugly against his side. She wrapped an arm around their mother and closed her eyes, breathing the both of them in.
They broke apart and Maryse pulled Magnus into a hug. "Watching you stand by Alec, it's what every mother wants for her child. Thank you, for loving my boy."
"I'll love him until the day I die." Magnus promised quietly.
"That's all I ask." Maryse said before pulling back and leaving the loft.
"Biscuit," Magnus turned to Clary. "Would you mind getting Madzie ready for bed while Alexander and I clean up?"
"Of course." Clary said. "Come on, Madzie. Let's change into PJ's."
"I want Daddy and Papa to say goodnight, though." Madzie whined, all the while following her aunt.
"We will, Princess." Alec promised. "We're just going to clean up, first."
Madzie followed Clary back to her room and Alec followed Magnus into the dining room.
"What did you want to talk about?" Alec asked Magnus.
"You didn't seem terribly distraught about your mother's news. I wanted to know what's going on in that gorgeous head of yours?" Magnus asked as he started stacking plates.
"Is it bad that I kind of don't feel sorry for her? She was right. She didn't leave the Circle until it was too late. Until she had already done too much evil. She hurt you Magnus. She hurt my soulmate. If it ever comes down to a choice between you and her, I won't hesitate to choose you. Every time."
Magnus vanished the plates and moved to rest his hands on Alec's shoulders. "You, my love, are everything to me. And I will always choose you. You are my heart, and my soul and my world."
Alec leaned forward and pressed his lips to Magnus' forehead, letting them linger for a second. "I can't wait to be married to you. I can't wait to be your husband."
"I've been waiting for this for centuries." Magnus said. "And speaking of our wedding; I was thinking a destination wedding. Maybe India, or France, ooh how about Greece?"
"How about Pandemonium?" Alec asked. "It was the first place I saw you in this life."
"Pandemonium it is." Magnus agreed, he couldn't seem to stop smiling. They were talking about their wedding. They were going to be married, husbands.
"And Madzie could be the flower girl!" Alec grinned.
"Who were you thinking of having standing with you?" Magnus asked.
"Izzy, Clary and Simon." Alec decided. "What about you?"
"Catarina, Wesley and Tessa."
Alec nodded and looked over at the chair that had remained empty all during dinner. "What about Raphael? Do you think he'll come?"
"Of course he will. I'm sure that something just came up and he couldn't make it." Magnus ran a hand up and down Alec's arm soothingly.
There was a frantic knocking on the front door just then. Magnus shared an annoyed look with Alec and went to answer.
He flung the door open, ready to shout at the person on the other side when he realized it was Simon and Raphael.
"We were just talking about you, hijo." Magnus said as he quickly took stock of his son's appearance. He looked awful.
"His sister died." Simon said. "And the Seelie Queen did something to me and Raphael tried to attack me and it hurt him. I'm so sorry. I just thought he could stay with you all tonight. He shouldn't be alone."
"Come in, darling." Magnus wrapped an arm around his son and pulled him inside. "Thank you, Simon."
"No problem." Simon shut the door and presumably fled.
Magnus pulled Raphael back into the dining room and over to Alec.
"Alexander, will you show Raphael to the spare room and get him settled?"
"Of course." Alec reached for Raphael and he willingly went to his father's side.
"I really can't impose." Raphael said, contradicting his actions.
"You don't have a choice, hijo. I plan on keeping you here as long as I can." Magnus said.
"I guess that's alright, then." Raphael said and allowed Alec to lead him away.