EDITED 5/30/2020
Raphael followed Simon into the kitchen at seven in the morning, he had stirred from his sleep when the younger vampire had walked down the hall past his room and made for the staircase. He'd thrown on a thin, black, cotton t-shirt over some red silk pajama pants that Magnus had gifted him and then padded after the boy.
Despite the fact that they'd been spending more and more time together since the Lightwood-Bane household had moved to Glen Head, Raphael hadn't seen these feelings coming. The way that his stomach had flipped when Simon smiled at him, or the way his skin tingled after Simon brushed against him accidentally. However, to his great misfortune, Simon had confided in Raphael that he had been dating Izzy in secret ever since Magnus and Alec had gotten married over a month ago.
According to Simon, Isabelle didn't want to tell anyone that the two of them were together, citing that with everything going on, it wasn't important enough of an announcement to waste time on.
Raphael sighed as Simon rounded the curve of the staircase, making the boy look back at him. "Oh, hey Raphael." Simon yawned. "Did I wake you up?"
Raphael just shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.
"Oh, good." Simon said as they made it to the bottom of the stairs and started walking towards the kitchen together. "I was worried, I thought that maybe when I shut my door it was kind of loud, and I might have been walking a little loud too."
They made it into the kitchen, the lights were off but there was some light coming in through the windows. Without looking around, Raphael went over to the fridge and Simon went over the pantry and started digging through it. Raphael grabbed an apple and a bottle of water and Simon grabbed a box of cereal. He turned and looked towards the oven clock where there was a little mirror.
"Man," Simon ran a hand through his hair. "Why didn't you tell me I looked like that." He curled a lip at himself.
Raphael shrugged. "Maybe I thought it was cute that you looked like a total wreck."
He looked over at Simon to see him gaping at Raphael, looking shocked and panicked. His mouth was opening and closing like he couldn't figure out what to say or if he even should say anything.
"What?" Raphael asked as he opened his water bottle and took a sip.
"It's just . . " Simon stuttered. "I . . . like . . . um . . . well . . . I just . . . gotta . . . gotta go." He rushed past Raphael and back upstairs, leaving his cereal on the counter.
Raphael watched as Simon ran off in a panic and was startled as he heard a loud rustling noise from the corner of the room. He turned to see his Dad sitting at the little table by the windows near the doorway, newspaper in hand, finishing turning a page.
Raphael narrowed his eyes as he noticed that he was holding back laughter, shoulders shaking at the effort.
"What?" He asked, a little bite in the word.
Alec shook his head, eyes not leaving the paper in front of him. "That was the best you got?" He asked, a little chuckle in his voice.
"Shut up!" Raphael said hotly, taking a long drink of his water.
Alec laughed, " Hey," He caught his breath, " So, if the two of you get married, does that mean we have to spend Christmas morning with him? Or do we get Thanksgiving? Or both, please don't say both."
"Oh my God," Raphael grabbed his apple, tossing his water bottle in the recycling bin. "Please, just forget this ever happened."
Alec laughed harder. "I don't think so, it's forever ingrained in my mind."
"Uningrain it." Raphael told him firmly as he started to walk out of the room.
"Hey!" Alec called, making Raphael stop and look back at him. "Next time be more subtle with him, Simon can't handle the outright flirting."
"I wasn't flirting." Raphael protested. "He's with Izzy. I was messing with him."
"Wait." Alec put the paper down. "He's dating Isabelle? My sister? Isabelle?"
"I've gotta go, Dad." Raphael hightailed it out of the room.
"Isabelle interrogated Jonathan," Magnus told Wesley, Clary, Tessa and Jem.
Alec was upstairs with Madzie, having been roped into playing Princess Tea Party with her. Raphael had insisted on staying in his room and researching something, although he wouldn't say what he was researching. Simon was presumably still asleep, even though it was almost noon.
"Did she find anything out?" Wesley asked.
"He kept telling her that the sword is a family heirloom, that it belonged in its rightful place, with the Morgenstern's. Lilith had told him about the sword, told him how it could release him from Edom." Magnus explained.
"Why did he tell her anything?" Clary asked. "He's been pretty tight lipped about everything."
Magnus looked uncomfortable. "She promised him that if he talked, he'd get to see you."
"Not a chance!" Wesley snapped, straightening up and pushing Clary slightly behind him. "There is no way, no way, that that mental case is getting anywhere near her after he's hurt her. He's kidnapped her, assaulted her, and choked her."
"Isabelle is developing a way to destroy the connection, Jonathan and Clary will, unfortunately, have to be in the same room when it happens. I don't like it anymore than you do, Wesley. She's my daughter, my little girl. But if this is what it takes to get rid of that awful connection to that murderous psychopath, then we have to do it."
"Izzy has a way to get rid of it?" Clary asked as she stepped forward to press against Wesley, grabbing his clenched fist in both of her hands, smoothing it out enough to thread her fingers through his and then she gripped his arm with her other hand.
"Apparently her, Aline Penhallow and Andrew Underhill have been working on it for a couple days now. They think that if Izzy can create a cure made of something called heavenly fire, it will work. She'll call when it is finished and we designated the old loft as a safe meeting space."
"What if it doesn't work?" Jem asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.
"Then I suppose we will have to find something else." Magnus said. "We won't rest until we find a way to free Clary from this."
Everyone nodded and stayed for a few minutes more before they all dispersed. Clary and Wesley retired back to their room, Clary walked in ahead of Wesley, taking her jacket off and hanging it on the hook in the corner of the room. As Wesley shut the door, Clary crawled onto the bed and laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Wesley toed off his shoes by the closet, shrugged his jacket off and draped it over the back of an armchair and then crawled onto the bed and draped himself over Clary. His head resting on her chest, the rest of his body settled in between her legs.
Clary sighed contentedly and placed a hand on the back of his head, her fingers threading through his hair. She placed her other hand on his back, right in the middle of his shoulder blades. Wesley moaned at the feeling of her fingers carding through his short hair, scratching against his scalp.
"You know nothings going to happen, right?" Clary asks quietly. "I'll be fine."
Wesley sighed against her, tilting his head up slightly to look at her before going back to his original position. "You don't know that." He said. "You have no idea what's going to happen. Jonathan could get loose and either kill you or take you before any of us can save you. The cure could kill you or backfire. It could fail and you could be connected to that psychopath until the Clave decides enough is enough and they execute him and you die too. I could lose you for eternity."
Clary turned onto her side, wrapping herself around him. "I promise that I won't leave you without a fight. I never want to be apart from you, Wesley." He hugged her back fiercely, pressing his lips against her neck and then burying his face there. "I love you." She whispered.
"I love you, too, beautiful." Wesley murmured. "Forever."
Clary pushed him back enough to see his face and the mournful look there, as if he were already preparing himself for what he believed was the inevitable. She leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. "Please, please promise me not to worry about things before they become a problem."
Wesley's lips curved downwards into a frown. "I will never stop worrying about losing you. And I'll never stop doing whatever it takes to protect you and keep you safe. If it were up to me, there is no way in hell that you would ever be in the same room as that monster ever again. What he did, I went through hell, not knowing if you were alive or dead. I can't ever go through anything like that again."
Clary looked at him sadly before pressing a quick kiss to his lips and hugging him tighter around his shoulders and pressed her face against his neck, taking a deep breath.
"Dad?" Clary stuck her head into his office where he was sitting on the couch, looking out the window watching the snowfall. He turned his head and he smiled as his eyes fell on her.
"Clary." He sat up a little straighter. "How are you? Your Papa told me what I missed at the meeting this morning."
"I'm okay." Clary moved over to sit with him on the couch. "It's actually Wesley that's upset. I was hoping you could help me with that, actually."
"What did you have in mind?" Alec leaned in slightly, an eyebrow raised.
"You said that the way that you managed to be reincarnated every time you die is that you made a deal with an Angel." Clary started and watching the hesitance immediately take up residence on his face. "I want you to help me do the same thing. If something were to happen, I can't leave him alone forever. I can't do it. And not just him either, you, Papa, Raphael, Madzie. My entire family is immortal. Dad, please, help me. Because if you don't, I'll figure it out myself, no matter how dangerous."
Alec sighed and looked back out the window. "I summoned Azrael. The Angel of Death. He guides you to the other side, and sometimes, in rare cases is willing to make a deal. In my first life as Queen Anne of Russia, I was poisoned by my husband, King Henry realized that I was cheating on him with your father. Once I realized what was happening, I summoned him using a crystal from the divine dimension."
"How do you . . .?" Clary started to say when the door opened. Magnus walked in with a smile before seeing the looks on his husband and daughter's faces.
"Did I interrupt something?" He asked.
"No."
"A little bit." Clary admitted, shrugging defensively when Alec shot her a look.
"Should I?" Magnus hooked a thumb over his shoulder and took a half step backwards.
"Actually," Alec adjusted his position on the couch. "Could you go get the box of my stuff from my other lives? And then you can stay for the rest of the conversation as well. You should know all of this."
Magnus looked worried and turned and left the room, coming back less than five minutes later with a small wooden box, handing it to Alec and sitting in the armchair adjacent from the couch. Alec turned the box over and over in his hands before balancing it on his knee and flipped the top open.
"As I was saying," He recapped. "I summoned Azrael, the Angel of Death with this crystal," He pulled a long, thin crystal from the box and held it up. "After I realized what my husband had done. When Azrael appeared, I begged him to do something, I told him about Magnus and how we were Soulmates. He wanted to strike a deal with me."
"What kind of deal?" Clary asked.
"In every life I've lived since Anne, I've had to do a task for him." Alec admitted. "When I was Imasu, I didn't remember anything, so as George I had to do two tasks to make up for Imasu."
"What kind of tasks?" Magnus asked in a hard voice.
"As Thomas the task was to burn down this pub poisoned Warlocks." Alec turned to him. "Every task was something that either benefited humanity, or that proved my love for you."
Alec took a deep breath. "As Adam, Azrael portaled me to the London Institute and made me steal the Book of the White, they were planning on using it to massacre Downworlders. As Isaac it was to pardon a Warlock that had killed several mundanes that were planning on trapping Warlocks in a bar and burning it down."
He placed the crystal back in the box and picked up a rock. "And as Imasu I never regained my memories, therefore I could not complete a task. As George, I was asked to save a man's life. He was outnumbered against several demons. And the other task I was asked to complete was to leave during battle, to run away and go home to Magnus. I was killed by my own people, trying to abandon them."
He put the rock down and picked up a pretty ring. It had a green gem inlaid in it. "As Etta," Alec breathed deeply through his nose. "I was asked to deny the request to become Immortal and end our relationship. He said that we would have ended up destroying each other in trying to love each other. Etta was the second worst version of myself, Imasu being the worst. Azrael was right, I did the right thing, no matter how much it killed me."
Alec placed the ring back in the box and picked up a piece of paper that had writing on it. "As James, I was actually given a free pass. Azrael told me that I wouldn't have to do anything because he didn't want trouble with my father."
"Who's your father?" Clary asked, Magnus perked up, interested.
Alec shrugged. "He didn't say and I never found out." Alec answered.
"And what about the task this time?" Magnus asked. "Do you have to do two because you didn't do one last time?"
Alec visibly hesitated. "Alexander." Magnus said sternly. "What does the Angel of Death require from you?"
"That's beside the point." Alec said. "We're here because Clary wants to summon Azrael and ask to be reincarnated as well." He gestured over towards Clary.
"Is it really that bad?" Magnus paled. "Alexander, just answer me."
"I really shouldn't . . ."
"You really should."
Alec stared at Magnus, anxiety coursing through him. Magnus stared back, unwavering.
"Magnus." He whispered. "Don't make me tell you."
Magnus glared at him. "Are you leaving me? Breaking up with me? What?"
"No, of course not." Alec shook his head.
"Forgive me for being unsure," Magnus snapped. "considering you've done it before."
"Magnus." Alec groaned. "Please don't do this."
"Tell me what your task is!" Magnus pressed.
Alec sighed and dropped his head into his hands. He took a deep breath before moving so that he could be heard, but his head was still propped up by his hands. "He gave me two choices. The first being I can either murder Camille or Jonathan, the other is . . ." Alec ran a hand over his face. "Or I can kill myself."
Magnus stood up so quickly that his knee banged against the coffee table, flipping it over. "I swear to Edom, if you even think about harming yourself, I will tie you to our bed and leave you there. I will find a way to get Camille here for you to kill her, I promise you. But I will not lose you again."
Magnus swept out of the room, leaving Clary and Alec alone.
"You'll help me summon him?" She asked quietly after a few moments of silence. Alec snapped his fingers and suddenly the both of them were dressed in winter attire. He stood up and pulled her with him, creating a portal at the same time.
He took her by the arm and told her to follow him. He pulled her through the portal, and they came out into a snow covered clearing. It was surrounded by leafless trees that had snow all over their branches. Alec had the crystal in his hand as he turned to Clary.
"Okay," He breathed. "Take your gloves off." Clary did as he asked and stuffed them in her coat pocket. He positioned her hands so that they were cupped and he placed the crystal in them. "Think hard about summoning him. Imagine what will happen when he gets here, what it will look like, what he will look like, think about what it is that you want from him. And don't be afraid, Clary. He won't hurt you."
Clary closed her eyes and thought hard. Why she wanted to do this, not for her benefit, but for Wesley, to spare him. To spare his heart. She imagined what Azrael would look like, how the light would shine bright when he came to her.
"Clary." Her Dad whispered. Clary opened her eyes and saw a man standing before them. He had dark hair, blue eyes and pale skin. He didn't look like an Angel.
Clary took a deep breath as the man stepped closer to them. "Hello, Clarissa Lightwood-Bane." He greeted. "My name is Azrael. I can do what you wish, but I require something of you."
"Anything." Clary promised, making Alec's head turn at break-neck speed. He looked at her wide-eyed and disbelieving.
"Worry not, Alexander." Azrael said. "I will not harm your child."
Azrael pulled a vial from his pocket and handed it to Clary. "All I ask, in exchange for what you desire is that you put this in your lover's drink."
"Will it hurt him?" Clary asked, examining it. "Is it poison?"
"Not at all." Azrael told her.
Clary stared at him, scared. "And if I do this, I'll be reincarnated, like my Dad? I'll come back each time I die?"
Azrael nodded. "That is the deal."
"Will I have to do a task each life like Dad?" Clary asked.
"No." Azrael shook his head. "Each deal I make is unique."
"Can I ask what this will do to my boyfriend?" Clary held up the vial of purple liquid.
"I'll leave you to discover that yourself." Azrael smirked.
"Can we examine it before she gives it to him?" Alec asked. "I'm sure you understand that we just want to know what to look out for after he drinks it."
"Certainly." Azrael agreed. "In fact, I encourage you to do so. Just know, if Wesley Thomas does not consume the potion, Clarissa will not return after death."
"Can he know that he is drinking it?" Alec asked.
"Yes, child." Azrael allowed. "Do not forget about your task either." Wings spread from his back and he disappeared.
Clary and Alec stood in the clearing for a few moments longer before Alec snagged the crystal back from Clary and pulled her gloves from her pocket, handing them back to her.
"Come on." He tugged her through the trees at the edge of the clearing.
"Where are we going?" Clary asked.
"Back to the house." Alec said. "We aren't that far from it, but I wanted to avoid questions when we left."
Clary nodded and they walked the rest of the way home in silence. They walked up the steps of the deck and went in through the backdoor, startling everyone that was grouped in the living room looking stressed.
Magnus, Wesley, Tessa, Jem, Raphael, Simon and Madzie were all gathered and looked up when the duo walked in.
"What's going on?" Clary asked.
"Where have you been?" Jem asked.
"No," Magnus said. "You know what? That's it. I've had it."
Alec peeled his winter coat off, unconcerned as Clary hid herself half behind her father. He did away with his hat, scarf and gloves, tossing them onto the nearest couch and started toeing off his boots.
"You are getting tied to the bed, you aren't allowed to wander anymore." Magnus pointed angrily at Alec.
Alec decided to try and distract his husband. He smirked and raised an eyebrow. "You promise?" He asked saucily.
"I'm not playing around right now, Alexander." Magnus yelled. Madzie looked up fearfully. "You can't tell me that an Angel gave you options and that one of them was suicide and then disappear for half a hour!"
"I was helping Clary!" Alec defended. "Or did you not notice our daughter was gone too?"
"Of course I did." Magnus sighed.
Alec rolled his eyes and groaned. "Tessa would you mind analyzing this?" He plucked the potion from Clary's fingers. "Don't use it all, we still need it. We just want to know what it is."
"Of course." Tessa took the potion and left the room.
Magnus surged forward and took Alec by the arm and dragged him into their room. He slammed the door and put a ward up before pushing Alec up against the door and connecting their mouths. He kissed Alec thoroughly, his tongue sliding deliciously against Alec's before he started exploring, licking the sides and roof of his mouth.
He snapped his fingers without pulling away and Alec was shirtless, Magnus scraped his fingernails down Alec's chest making him moan. Magnus took him by the shoulders and dragged him to their bed, pushing Alec down onto it, their lips disconnecting with a loud smack. Alec bounced a little as he landed on the mattress, breathing loudly in the quiet room. Magnus stood a few feet away, watching intently with unglamoured eyes as Alec's chest heaved as he relaxed back against the bed.
"Magnus." Alec panted. "Come here." He held out a hand as he looked up at his husband, dropping the glamour on his eyes.
Magnus smirked. "With pleasure darling." He climbed on top of Alec, straddling him and pressing their foreheads together, leaning down so that their mouths were millimeters apart. "You don't get to leave me. I'm not letting go."
Alec placed a hand on the back of Magnus' neck. "I'm yours." He whispered, closing the distance between their mouths, not kissing him but just letting their lips touch. "I'm not leaving. I'm yours."
"Mine." Magnus breathed before pushing Alec all the way into the mattress and giving him a bruising kiss.
"It's what?" Clary asked. Her and Tessa were downstairs in Tessa and Jem's room, alone. "Say it again?"
"It's a fertility potion." Tessa repeated.
"A fertility potion?" Clary sat down, shaking.
"You and Wesley will be able to have children with this, Clary." Tessa pressed the potion into her hand. "You have to tell him. He'll be ecstatic."
"Children." Clary pressed a hand to her stomach.
Tessa placed a hand on Clary's shoulder. "This is a good thing Clary. Do you want me to go get him?"
Clary nodded slowly and Tessa quickly went up the stairs. Wesley came down ten minutes later looking concerned.
"Clary?" He asked gently. "What's the matter?" He crouched in front of her and took her hands in his, looking at the vial in suspicion.
"Nothing." She said, getting off of the couch she was sitting on and straddled him, forcing him to sit back on the ground as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Baby," Wesley murmured. "What's happening?"
Clary pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "You know how Dad found a way to come back and be reincarnated?" She asked.
"Yeah?" Wesley asked.
"He told me how." Clary smiled. "And so I did it, but there's a condition. Something I have to do."
Wesley looked hopeful but concerned. "What do you have to do?" He asked warily.
"Well," Clary said. "I guess it's more like something you have to do." She held up the vial. "You have to drink this."
Wesley immediately took the vial from her, pulled out the cork and drained it in one go. He coughed slightly as Clary looked at him in blatant shock. "What . . .? You didn't even ask what it was."
"What was it?" Wesley asked, curious.
"Babe," Clary said in shock. "That could have been poison!"
"But it wasn't." Wesley shrugged.
"No," Clary sighed. "It was a fertility potion."
"A fer-" Wesley's eyes widened. "So when we're ready, we can?"
"We can have a baby." Clary nodded, tears in her eyes.
"Oh my God," Wesley threw himself back onto the floor, a huge grin on his face. His arms were wrapped tightly around his girlfriend. "Oh my God."
Clary held on to Wesley, arms still wrapped around his neck and pressed herself flush to him, letting him process the news.
"You're staying with me?" He asked. "Like Alec?"
"Yes." She breathed into the skin of his neck.
"We can have a baby."
"Yes." She nodded.
"I love you so much." Wesley whimpered into Clary's neck.
"I love you more than anything." Clary replied, her heart had never felt so full.