Authors Note:

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope everyone had a great night, I sure did! Anyway, like the past couple chapters, Jace plays piano! The song that inspired me for this piece was "Armin Van Buuren – Falling in and out of love piano cover Yaroslav Yarmak" and you should totally listen to it while reading his part! Please let me know how you feel, and leave a review! I really like where this is going, and I hope you all do to! I'm in the middle of trying to figure out the next one shot that I'm doing, so be patient with me and I'll update when I can! :)

Chapter Twenty

Time Jump – College Graduation

Clary and Jace couldn't believe that they were graduating college this week. It seems like yesterday that they were moving into their own place, and starting their lives together, and now they are graduating and moving into the adult world. It was scary for both Clary and Jace, but they knew that they could do it together, just like they did everything else.

The good part about going to different colleges was that their graduations weren't on the same day, of course if they went to the same college they'd be graduating together, but it still wouldn't be the same. Clary was excited to be sitting the audience with Jace's family and watching him get that diploma that she knows he's worked incredibly hard for.

She was excited when she finally saw the students filling in the auditorium. Clary instantly started looking for Jace, and the minute he walked in, it was like a magnet, their eyes locked and she couldn't help but smile. She waved, and he waved back before he took his seat. After all the students were seated the president of Juilliard stood up to speak.

"Welcome family and friends of our fellow graduates." He started. "Today we celebrate the ending of these bright students academic studies and watch them embark on their journey into the world." He spoke and Clary couldn't be prouder of Jace. He deserved this more than anyone. "Before we begin with the rest of the speeches, I have a little treat for you all." He said and he smiled. "There is one student here in particular that has rises above everyone else and has gone above and beyond what he has been required. I love to sit in on the classes, and listen to our talented students, and the day I chose to sit in on this class truly left me awe inspired." He said, and Clary was excited to see what was happening, all it said in the little pamphlet they got was a surprise performance. "He has written and composed many pieces that have completely blown our staff away, and we all have been saying this since he started here, but this kid will go far in the music industry. He is determined, and passionate, and has a mind that understand music more than any young student I've ever met. It was truly a gift to watch him grow as a musician and see what we could rip out of him when he felt like he dried up like a raisin. This student has been working on this piece for some time now, and it will be the first time any of us have heard it, so without further ado, please welcome to the stage, Jace Lightwood." The man said and Clary's jaw hit the floor. She looked over at his family and they looked just as shocked as she was.

"Thank you. Hi, I'm Jace, and this piece has caused me many sleepless nights, but I hope you all enjoy it." He said and Clary saw him take his signature deep breath. His hands started moving along the keys, and just like always he was playing one of the most beautiful pieces of music Clary has ever heard. The president was right, Jace truly was more talented than anyone she's ever heard of and she was incredibly proud of him. When Jace was finished, the auditorium was silent for a brief second before it erupted in a roar of applause. Clary of course jumped to her feet and started clapping and hollering. She was always so awestruck when it came to his ability to piece notes together to make such a beautiful piece of music. Jace stood up and bowed before making his way back to his seat. The auditorium settled down and the president got back up.

"I told you he was a force to be reckoned with. The music that young man creates is other worldly, and it'll be amazing to see what he accomplishes in the future." The president said.

When the ceremony was over, Jace's family was waiting in the parking lot for him. Jace walked out of the building and immediately spotted Clary's red hair. He made his way over to them and scooped Clary up in his arms causing her to squeal. When he put her down and pressed his lips to her and she couldn't help but smile into the kiss.

"Why didn't you tell me you were performing?" Clary asked and Jace smiled.

"I wanted it to be a surprise." Jace said and Clary laughed.

"That it was. It was beautiful Jace." Clary said and Jace pulled her into him.

"Thank you. It took me forever to get it right." Jace said and Maryse came over and pulled him into her.

"I'm so proud of you Jace." Maryse said and Jace smiled.

"Thanks mom." Jace said which caused Maryse to tear up. Jace rarely called Maryse mom, but when he did, she always knew he truly and sincerely meant it. Clary couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. She was truly so in love with him that sometimes she didn't know how she ended up with him, but she was thankful for her life with him.

"Why don't we all go out for dinner? I know we already have a huge party planned out for when Simon and Isabelle come home, but I think after that masterpiece of a piano solo deserves some food." Maryse said and everyone nodded in agreement. Sure it was only Maryse, Robert, Jace and Clary, but they were glad to be spending this time with Jace and celebrating his accomplishments.

When dinner was over, Clary and Jace made their way back to their apartment. It had been a long day, and in just two days Clary would be graduating and it was going to be a long day, and Jace and Clary just wanted to rest. They both plopped down on the couch and were silent for a moment before Clary spoke.

"I can't believe you're a college graduate." Clary said and Jace laughed.

"It feels so weird to think of myself as a Juilliard Alumni." Jace said and Clary curled into his side.

"I'm so proud of you Jace. I knew you could do it." Clary said and Jace looked down at her and smiled.

"I couldn't have done it without you." Jace said and Clary pressed her lips to his.

"I love you." Clary said when she broke away.

"I love you too." Jace said and Clary rested her head on his chest. They sat there in the silence for who knows how long just relaxing. They had come a long way since high school, and this was honestly only the beginning for them, and they were both excited for the future.

Time Jump – Two Days Later

Today was the day that Clary was graduating and Jace couldn't be prouder of her. He knew that she put her whole entire heart into her art career at NYU, and he was so incredibly proud of all the masterpieces that she created. He knew that she cried over more pieces than she cared to admit, but that just showed how dedicated Clary was to her work. He knew she wanted to produce her best work, and he was proud of her for that.

Jocelyn and Jace were the only two at Clary's graduation. Maryse and Robert had left yesterday to get up to Connecticut for Izzy's graduation, and Jocelyn was Clary's only family.

"I can't believe she made it." Jocelyn said as they waited for the ceremony to start. "There was a time that I thought she wasn't ever going to leave her room after Jonathan, but she's come out of her gloomy shell a lot since you came into her life."

"You know I'd do anything for her." Jace said and Jocelyn smiled.

"I know, and it means the world to me to know that you are there for her when I can't be." Jocelyn said and Jace smiled. The lights dimmed and people started filing in the auditorium. Jace instantly spotted Clary, her red hair was a dead give away. No one in the world had that amazing vibrancy to her hair. Their eyes locked and Clary smiled and gave him a thumbs up which caused Jace to laugh.

The ceremony was as all college graduation are, boring. Clary was fidgeting in her seat the whole time just wanted to get that piece of paper, and get to her mom and Jace. When they finally filed out of the ceremony, Clary made her way out to the parking lot and found her mom and Jace immediately. She made her way over to them and Jace picked Clary up and spun her around. He gave her a sweet kiss before putting her back on the ground. Jocelyn walked over to her with tears in her eyes and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you baby." Jocelyn said and Clary smiled.

"Thanks mom." Clary said and Jocelyn released her.

"What do you two want to do now? It's just us." Jocelyn asked and Clary and Jace smiled.

"Why not a nice family lunch." Clary said and Jocelyn and Jace smiled.

"That sounds perfect." Jocelyn said and Jace nodded. They made their way to a restaurant between their houses so that it was inconvenient for anyone once lunch was done. Clary couldn't help but look at Jace and her mom and realize how incredibly thankful she was for those two. Her mom had always been her rock when she was younger, and Jace had become her protector later in life, and she couldn't even begin to think what her life would be like without either of them. She was happy that the two most important people in her life were there to celebrate her graduation, and it didn't even bother her that her brother and father weren't around, because they were the only family that Clary needed.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Izzy and Simon were graduating today, and it just seemed so surreal that this moment arrived. Izzy, the girl who stuck her nose up to everything and considered herself a goddess among humans, was soon to be a Yale University Alumni, living with her insanely sweet, and handsome boyfriend who she is more in love with than she thought possible, and she couldn't be happier. She looks at the life her and Simon created for themselves and didn't know what she did to get so lucky.

Simon walked into their bedroom to grab Izzy, and get to Yale when he saw her staring at the mirror. Simon couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He was completely in love with that girl, and he couldn't wait for their future together. Simon walked over and placed his hand on Izzy's shoulder, which seemed to bring her out of her head. She looked up and smiled at Simon.

"You okay?" Simon asked and she smiled and nodded.

"Just thinking about how far I've come." Izzy said and Simon took her hand and pulled her off the chair. "I don't thank you enough Simon."

"You don't have to thank me Iz." Simon said but Izzy shook her head.

"I was headed for a life of recklessness, and who knows, that pregnancy scare that I went through could have been real because I was such an idiot. Losing everything and meeting you was such a blessing, and I can't even begin to describe how much happier I've been since you came into my life, and I just feel like I need to tell you that more." Izzy said and Simon pulled her closer to him.

"It was an honor to be picked by you Isabelle." Simon said and Izzy knew that he meant it because he called her Isabelle, and he only does that when he's serious.

"Thank you for being so incredibly patient, and not giving up on me after being so incredibly bitchy to you." Izzy said and Simon pulled her closer and gave her a sweet kiss.

"I love you Iz." Simon simply said and Izzy smiled.

"I love you too." She said.

"Now, I came in here because if we don't leave, we're going to be late, and I don't think our families would appreciate that too much." Simon said and Izzy laughed and they made their way out to their car.

Simon and Izzy didn't sit together during the ceremony. Yale divides the graduates according to major, and fashion and engineering aren't even remotely close to each other. They were disappointed, but knew they would see each other after anyway, and than the future was entirely up to them.

The ceremony was boring, and once they filed out Simon and Izzy immediately started looking for each other. Finally when they found each other Simon scooped Izzy into his arms and gave her the biggest hug possible. Izzy wrapped her arms around Simon's neck and smiled. When he put her down he pressed his lips to her briefly before pulled away.

"I'm really proud of you Iz." Simon said and Izzy couldn't help but smile.

"And I'm really proud of you." Izzy said and Simon smiled. He grabbed her hand and they started walking towards the parking lot to meet their families. When they finally did find them, Maryse pulled Izzy into a hug, as Simon's mom pulled him into a hug.

They spent the rest of the day together, talking about the party they were having when they came home for a week or two this summer, and the other graduations and family things. Simon and Izzy were both truly fortunate for how their lives turned out, and they couldn't wait to see where it went.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Magnus and Alec were out taking a walk like they liked to do in the summer, when they spotted a moving box just lying next to a dumpster. Thinking it could be some abandoned animal; they both went over to inspect it. What they didn't expect was to find a little baby inside the box. Alec and Magnus both looked at each other with concern spread all across both of their faces. Magnus looked around for someone but there was nobody around but them.

Alec bent down to see if there was any harm done to the baby, but on the outside the baby looked to be in perfect condition. Magnus bent down after finding nobody around and Alec looked over at him.

"What do we do?" Alec asked.

"I think we should take him to the hospital." Magnus said. Alec nodded thinking that it was for the best. As perfect as the little boy looked on the outside, he could be suffering inside. Magnus scooped up the baby, and cradled him gently in his arms.

They walked all the way to the hospital, and the baby was surprisingly calm, which Alec and Magnus were grateful for. They didn't have much experience in the area of parenthood, but they both knew a calm baby was better than a screaming one. When they walked into the hospital they walked up to the nurses station.

"Excuse me." Magnus said and the nurse looked up. "We found this baby in a box next to a dumpster."

"Oh dear." The nurse said as she stood up and started looking at the baby. "Was there a note or anything?"

"Nothing. It was just the baby and the box." Alec said and the nurse nodded.

"Thank you for bringing him here." The nurse said and Magnus handed him over to her. "Can I get your contact information?"

"What for?" Magnus asked confused.

"We'll have to call CPS in here, and they might want to talk to you since you found him." The nurse explained and Magnus nodded. He wrote down his name and number and handed him to the nurse. "Thank you."

Alec and Magnus left the hospital and finally made it home. Alec didn't understand why someone would leave a baby next to the dumpster like a piece of trash. It actually really bothered him that his mother or father thought that low of him. I mean, there are better options, like dropping him off at a fire station, or a hospital, or putting him up for adoption after he was born. But a dumpster? That was just cold. Magnus could tell something was bothering Alec, and when he took Alec's hand in his, Alec finally looked up into his eyes.

"What's wrong Alec?" Magnus asked.

"I can't believe someone would leave a poor defenseless baby next to a dumpster." Alec said angrily.

"Maybe the mother was a drug addict and wasn't thinking." Magnus said and that never dawned on Alec.

"But still. The poor thing is only a couple months old, leaving him in a box to fend for himself, is cruel." Alec said and Magnus nodded.

"Yes it is, but we took him to the hospital, and hopefully he ends up with a nice family." Magnus said and Alec nodded. "It's very sweet that you care so deeply Alexander. We did the right thing for that little boy."

"I know, it just doesn't sit well with me." Alec said and Magnus smiled.

"Me either, but he's safe now." Magnus said and Alec nodded. "Come on, lets watch a movie and relax."

Alec agreed and they sat down on the couch and watched a movie, and Alec tried to forget about the little baby, but something about that little baby reminded him so much of when Max was a baby, and that's what upset him the most about it. It made missing Max a little harder knowing that little boy looked so similar. Alec tried to block his mind out, and focus on the movie, and it worked, but that thoughts were still nagging him more than he would have liked.

Time Jump – A Few Days Later

Magnus and Alec had both gotten back from work and desperately needed a nice relaxing night together, but evidently that wasn't in the cards for them. They had just settled on the couch when Magnus's phone rang. Magnus sighed, and got up from the couch to retrieve his phone. When he looked to see who was calling, it was a unknown number, Magnus was about to just let it ring, but he decided to just stop the annoying sounds and answer it.

"Hello?" Magnus answered.

"Hello, is this Magnus Bane?" A woman asked.

"Yes. Who is this?" Magnus questioned.

"My name is Amanda, and I'm from Child Protective Services, and I was told you were the one who found the little boy and brought him to the hospital." She said and Magnus was glad he decided to answer.

"Yes." Magnus simply answered.

"I would like to meet if that's possible. I just have a few questions." Amanda said.

"When would you like to meet?" Magnus asked.

"The only time this week I have is right now." Amanda said and Magnus sighed.

"How about we meet over coffee?" Magnus suggested.

"Sounds perfect. Java Jones?" Amanda said.

"Meet there in 10 minutes." Magnus said and hung up. He made his way back over to Alec.

"Who was that?" Alec asked.

"The woman from CPS. She wants to talk." Magnus said.

"When?" Alec asked. Magnus held out his hand and Alec took it, and Magnus pulled him off the couch.

"10 minutes." Magnus said and Alec nodded. They got ready and proceeded to make their way over to the coffee shop that they frequented. When they walked in Magnus ordered their usual's and they took a seat in a booth waiting for someone to approach them. Finally a woman walked in and she looked liked she was looking for someone. She finally spotted the two and made her way over to them.

"Magnus Bane?" She asked and Magnus nodded. She smiled and took a seat on the opposite side of the booth. "And who did you bring?"

"This is my boyfriend, Alec. We actually found the baby together." Magnus explained and Amanda nodded.

"I'm Amanda, and I was assigned to the baby's case. I just have a few things I want to discuss and I'll be out of your hair." Amanda said and they nodded. "You said you found him in a box right?" Amanda asked and Magnus and Alec both nodded. "Do you happen to remember if there was anything around the box that didn't look like it belonged?"

"What do you mean?" Alec asked a little confused at the question.

"Like syringes, or pills." Amanda clarified.

"Not that we remember." Magnus started. "After we walked over Alec went to check on the child while I looked for anyone around us. We didn't really pay attention to anything around us."

"Why? Was something wrong with the baby?" Alec asked concerned.

"He was in fact born addicted to drugs." Amanda said.

"How old was he?" Alec asked.

"He was just over two months, or that's what the doctors concluded, but drugs can make everything appear different. He was also very malnourished, and the withdrawal had been extremely hard for him." Amanda said.

"That's awful." Magnus said.

"Indeed. I wish I could say this happens rarely but I've come across cases like this so frequently in my line of work." Amanda said and that just made Magnus and Alec more upset. "I know this meeting was short but I appreciate you two taking the time to meet with me."

"What's going to happen to him?" Alec asked.

"Well, he'll be in the hospital until he is completely clean of drugs, and than we'll start trying to find a family that will adopt him. His chances are a lot lower than the overage baby though, so I doubt he'll be picked. He will most likely end up in the system."

"Why is that?" Magnus asked.

"We can't lie to the families who are looking to adopt. It will be in his file that he was abandoned near a dumpster, addicted to drugs, and severely malnourished. Once potential families hear that, they are quick to say no, and move onto the next child." Amanda said.

"But he is just a baby. He didn't do those things to himself." Alec said and Amanda sighed.

"I'm not saying it's right, but he will have heal issues down the road, and families don't want to deal with that. It would one thing if it was their own child, but in this case, he wouldn't be, and if they have the chance to take on a child who is completely healthy, they'll go with that child." Amanda said and Alec couldn't get over how incredibly heartless that is. "I'm not saying it's right, every child should have the same opportunity at finding a family, but that doesn't mean these things don't happen."

"People suck." Alec said and Amanda laughed.

"I couldn't agree more. Thank you two for meeting me. I have to go, my husband was expecting me earlier but I had to meet you before i got too swamped too." She said and Magnus and Alec nodded. Amanda got up and walked out of the coffee shop.

"Alec, are you okay?" Magnus asked clearly knowing that Alec felt so strongly about this topic.

"He might never get a chance at a family because of how stupid his mother was. How is that fair?" Alec said and Magnus took his hand in his.

"It's not fair, but we can't change people." Magnus said.

"No, but we can do something about it." Alec said which caused Magnus to widen his eyes.

"What are you talking about Alec?" Magnus asked.

"You love me right?" Alec asked and Magnus nodded. "You want to be with me for the rest of you life right?" Alec asked and Magnus nodded once again. "How would you feel about helping that little boy out?"

"Alec, that is a huge responsibility." Magnus said caught off guard. Alec and him have never talked about having kids. It didn't seem like the time, but seeing Alec like this was something he'd never seen before.

"I know, but he has nobody, and he might never get anyone because of how stupid his mother was. We could change that little boys life Magnus. We could give him a home, and a life, and everything he deserves." Alec said. Magnus was taken aback by this. He saw how passionate he was about this, and that changed something in Magnus. He wanted this purely for how much Alec wanted this. Seeing Alec so passionate about this, made him want it as well. Without even answering Magnus pulled out his phone and dialed that number again.

"Hello?" Amanda answered.

"What are the odds that two gay men could adopt a baby that was abandoned by a dumpster and has a addiction to drugs?" Magnus asked and Amanda sucked in a breath.

"You're serious?" Amanda asked. Magnus looked over at Alec, and he had the biggest smile on his face.

"I'm absolutely serious." Magnus said and he heard her squeal.

"Okay, well first….." Amanda started listing everything that needed to be done in order to adopt the baby, and Magnus couldn't help but be incredibly nervous but he could see how happy this made Alec, and his happiness meant everything to him. And Alec was right, they had the opportunity to change that babies life, and Magnus couldn't help but feel incredibly compelled to do that.