Chapter Twenty One
Clary and Jace had decided that after graduation they wanted to go on a vacation together. Something to celebrate their accomplishments and give themselves a little time together outside of New York. It took them forever to decide on a location to go, but they finally decided that they wanted to go to the Bahamas.
When the time came to get to the airport, Clary was frazzled. Her mom offered to take them there, but their flight was so early that Jocelyn had to sleep over, and they had to be awake before 2 am, so they made it in time for their flight. Clary didn't understand why Jace picked such an early flight, considering he didn't even like mornings, but when she asked he said he didn't want to waste a day traveling. He wanted to get there and be ready to start their vacation.
When Jocelyn dropped them off at the airport they said their goodbye's and went to their terminal. When they took a seat Clary finally took a deep breath. The morning had been chaotic, and she hadn't slept much the night before.
"I think I could fall asleep." Clary said after a moment and Jace laughed.
"You want me to get you some coffee?" Jace offered.
"Coffee sounds great." Clary said. Jace kissed her forehead and got up in search of coffee. Jace found a coffee stand relatively quick and grabbed Clary's order before heading back over to her. But when he got back to her, she was curled up on the chair sleeping. Jace couldn't help the smile on his face at how incredibly cute Clary was. He sat down next to her and held her coffee and just let her sleep. There was no reason to wake her up immediately seeing as her coffee had to cool off anyway.
Jace was especially nervous for this trip considering he was planning on proposing to Clary. He had asked Jocelyn about two weeks ago, and it took him that long to plan everything out. He got a guy down there to take lots of pictures for everyone to see when they get back. Jace was nervous, but he knew this is what he wanted, and he couldn't wait to ask her.
Her coffee finally cooled off so Jace decided to wake her up. He started to rub her arm, and he felt her starting to move. He knew Clary was a hard person to wake up, but he wasn't going to force her to wake up, and if her coffee was cold when she did wake up, he would simply get her another one. After about 10 minutes though, Clary finally started to stir. She sat up in the chair and started to rub her eyes.
"Good morning sleeping beauty." Jace said and Clary smiled.
"I didn't realize I was that tired." She said and Jace laughed.
"No problem. Your coffee should be warm enough to drink now." Jace handed her to the cup and she took a sip.
"It's perfect." Clary said and Jace smiled. "Thank you."
"Anything for you." Jace said
They sat there for another hour before their flight was called. Jace grabbed both of their travel on bags, and Clary had their tickets. Jace splurged for first class tickets. Jace didn't think anything was too expensive for Clary, and he was happy to give her everything she ever wanted. They made their way to their seats and Clary was blown away. She had never been on an airplane before and this wasn't how she expected it to look.
"Once we're in the air, you'll forget we're on a plane." Jace said as he saw the nerves in Clary.
"Right, I just have to get over the scary part first." Clary said and Jace laughed.
"Remember, we could have gone on a cruise to the Bahamas but you didn't want too." Jace said and Clary playfully smacked him.
"I'm more terrified of boats than I am of planes." She said and they both took their seats.
The plane ride was fine. Clary wasn't as nervous once they were up in the air, but she was dreading the landing. When the pilot announced that they would be descending soon, Jace reached over and took Clary's hand in hers. She smiled as she interlocked their fingers and prepared for the fears of landing. When they got off the plane, Jace had never seen Clary look so relieved in his life, and it made him smile. They had made their way to the hotel that they were staying at to unpack and hit the beach for the day. As they unpacked their suitcases Jace couldn't stop looking at Clary. He couldn't wait to ask her to be his wife and spend the rest of their lives together. After getting a taste of it during college, there was nothing Jace wanted more.
Time Jump – One Week Later
Clary had been having the time of her life on this vacation. Not just because this was the first time she had ever been on a real vacation, but because Jace truly made it incredibly special for her. He would take her out at night, and show her off. They went to clubs and got a little too tipsy and danced their hearts out even though neither of them danced. There was something about them being together that made them both want to do everything they would normally never do alone. Being together felt right, and Clary couldn't wait to see where their future led them.
They had gone to the beach earlier today, and when they got back to their hotel Clary decided that she needed a nap. Jace said he wanted to go for a run, and Clary was not joining him on that, so the couch is where she posted up, and fell asleep. When she woke up she thought Jace would be back, but the hotel room was empty. She walked into the bedroom and found and outfit laying on their bed. When she walked over she saw a note folded up. Clary picked up and started reading
Clary,
I have a very special evening planned out for us tonight. Wear this and meet me in the lobby at 5. I love you.
Jace.
Clary couldn't get the dopey grin off her face. He was constantly finding way to surprise her, and she was really excited to see what he had planned for their magical evening together. Jace on the other hand was nervous as all hell. He knew he wanted this, and he knew this was how their relationship was always going to end, but that didn't make it any less nerve wracking. When 5 rolled around he was standing in the lobby anxiously awaiting Clary. Every time the elevator doors opened he held his breath. When she finally stepped out thought she looked even more breath taking than he imagined. The flowy green sundress, with the white sandals made her look like an angel. She had the biggest grin on her face, which caused Jace to smile even wider. She made her way over to him and leaned up and pressed her lips to his.
"Ready?" Jace asked and Clary gladly nodded. He took her hand in his and they started walking down the street. Clary had no idea where they were going, but she was excited. At first Clary thought they were going to restaurant but they had passed by every single on and that made Clary extra confused. The continued walking until they reached a pier. Jace smiled down at Clary as he saw how confused she was. When they began getting closer to the edge of the pier Clary finally understood where they were going. There was a table set up for two over looking the ocean and Clary's eyes started to water.
"Jace." She said in awe but her brain couldn't form any more words.
"Do you like it?" He asked hesitantly.
"Like it? I love it Jace." Clary said and Jace pulled her closer to him. "This is amazing. How the hell did you pull this off?" Clary asked as Jace pulled her chair out for her.
"I called like a month ago when we finally decided where we were going. I wanted to do something special for you to show how much I love you." Jace said and Clary smiled.
"I love you so much." Clary said and Jace smiled.
Dinner had been absolutely perfect. They laughed and joked like they always had together and the food was absolutely delicious. But the part of the night that was freaking Jace out the most hadn't even happened yet. He was trying so hard to keep calm, but he couldn't stop some of the nerves escaping him. He dropped his fork on the ground, and nearly spilled his whole glass of wine on Clary he was so nervous. Thankfully, Clary was one of the sweetest individuals he's ever met, and she found the whole thing cute and comical.
They ended their night talking a beautiful walk on the beach at sunset. It was the most picture perfect moment they could ever hope for and Jace couldn't wait to pop the question. They had made it to their destination where Jace knew the camera man was waiting. He stopped walked and turned and faced Clary who still had the biggest smile on her face.
"Tonight has been absolutely perfect Jace." Clary said and Jace took both her hands in his.
"It's not over just yet." Jace said.
"What more could you possibly have for me?" Clary asked and Jace laughed.
"I never knew that I needed someone in my life more than I needed you." Jace started. "There was moments in my life that I thought I was never going to find someone who I could give my heart to fully, and trust that they were going to keep it safe, but the day we met, everything changed." Jace said and Clary started to get teary eyed. "You have brought so much light into my life, and I can't thank you enough for that. You have been with me through some of life's hardest obstacles, and we've always made it through stronger than when we entered." Jace said as he rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles. "When I heard you were in the hospital, I thought my whole world was falling apart. I was prepared to swim across every ocean to get back to you because I needed to be with you. It made me realize that you are it for me, and I can't let another day go by without you knowing exactly how much I love you." Jace said. He released one of her hands and grabbed the ring out of his pocket and got down on one knee.
"Jace." Clary gasped and Jace smiled.
"I love you more than anything in this world Clarissa, and I will love you until the day I die, and if there is life after this, I will love you than. Will you marry me?" Jace asked and Clary had now been fully crying.
"Yes." She choked out and Jace slid the rings on her finger and pressed his lips to hers. Clary wrapped her arms around his neck and gladly kissed him back. When the broke apart Clary had the biggest smile on her face. "I love you."
"I love you too." Jace said and Clary looked down at the ring with clear eyes now. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She looked back up at Jace and smiled. Jace grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to the newest edition to her hand. They both knew this was going to be one hell of a life, but they couldn't be happier to be experiencing it together.
~/~/~/~/~/~/~
"Simon, if we don't get on the road now, we won't make it until it's dinner time." Izzy shouted at Simon. They were heading home to visit their families, and to catch up with Jace and Clary. Izzy was dying to see the pictures of the proposal, and hear all about their adventures. Nobody besides Izzy and Jocelyn knew about the engagement. Jace called her freaking out about an outfit for Clary, and eventually Izzy beat it out of him, and it's been hard keeping this secret, but she was super excited for them.
"I'm coming, and we'll be just fine." Simon said as he entered the room.
"I don't know why we are leaving so late. We might hit traffic." Izzy said as they made their way to the car.
"It won't be that bad Iz." Simon said as they pulled out of their driveway. Izzy hoped for Simon's sake they made it to her parents house in the 2 hours it takes to get there, or she was no going to be happy.
Time Jump – Four Hours Later
"I am so unhappy with you." Izzy said as they sat in stand still traffic.
"How was I supposed to know we'd be stuck behind a 6 car pile up? I can't predict when people are going to be stupid." Simon said trying to get Izzy out of her mood.
"I wanted to leave this morning, but noooooo. You just had to wait until 3 in the afternoon because you wanted to work a half day." Izzy said as she rolled her eyes.
"Well, I'm sorry my job isn't as flexible as yours." Simon responded.
"Maybe you should get a different job." Izzy muttered.
"Sorry that NASA isn't a good enough job for you." Simon said with annoyance in his voice. "A lot of people find what I do incredibly challenging, and quite and accomplishment, it would be nice if my girlfriend thought the same." Simon said and Izzy looked over at him and realized that she was being a bitch to him.
"You know I think you are incredibly talented Simon. And you know how incredibly proud I was when you got this job." Izzy said as she reached over the center consul and placed her hand on his thigh. "I didn't mean to come off as resentful for all the hard work you put into getting your degree and the work that you do. I just really want to see my family, so I wanted to get there as soon as possible."
"I understand that Iz, but I had no choice. I had to work today." Simon said.
"But why?" Izzy asked. Simon never had conflicts when it came to time off at his job, and it was strange that this one time that he did.
"I wasn't going to tell you this, but they asked me to work on a ridiculously cool project that helps send a robot into space and collect data. It's a high profile job, and only 6 of us were picked." Simon said and Izzy's heart nearly leap out of her chest. "It's going to take us some time to get everything ready for it to be launched in space, but out of all the people, I was chosen, and since it's a special project, I can't dictate my own hours that I work, and I'm scheduled to work on your birthday."
"We were going to come home." Izzy said a little upset.
"I know, which is why I worked today. Your birthday falls on a holiday, but I would have to take one day off in order to leave when you want too, and nothing is more important than your birthday, so I started my portion early, so the rest of the team can use it while I'm gone. It took me longer than I anticipated, which is why I needed to work today. I had to finish it otherwise I wouldn't be able to take that one day." Simon explained.
"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?" Izzy said and Simon looked over and smiled at her.
"You tell me everyday." Simon said and Izzy leaned over and gave him a sweet kiss.
"I am so incredibly proud of you Simon. This is huge, and there isn't anyone else out there who deserves it more than you." Izzy said and Simon smiled.
Another 45 minutes went by before they started to move, but at that point Izzy didn't care, they would get to her parents when they did, it wasn't going to hurt anyone if they made it there 2 hours ago, or by midnight. Izzy just couldn't believe the news that Simon shared with her. She was incredibly proud of him and more in love than she ever thought was possible, and that meant everything to her.
~/~/~/~/~/~/~
Alec and Magnus had met with Amanda on several more occasions to discuss the adoption of the little baby boy. It seemed so surreal that this was happening, but Alec and Magnus couldn't wait. The closer it got, the more real it felt, and the more it excited both of them to be fathers.
They hadn't told any of their family members yet because they wanted it to be finalized before anything happened. They didn't want to get their hopes up until they knew that the little boy was theirs. Alec knew his parents would be supportive, I mean he hoped they were, but this was something Alec and Magnus both cared so passionately about that it didn't matter about others opinions. Alec and Magnus were sitting in the waiting room where Amanda worked waiting to be called back. Alec's knee was bouncing up and down, and his palms were sweating.
"Alexander, calm down." Magnus said as he placed his hand on Alec's knee.
"I'm sorry, it's just nerve wracking." Alec said.
"We don't know what this meeting is about, so we have to be open minded." Magnus said and Alec nodded.
"I know, but what if everything fell through?" Alec asked.
"We won't know until we speak with Amanda, but getting worked up over this isn't going to do you any good." Magnus said and Alec took a deep calming breath.
"Alec, and Magnus." Amanda called and they both stood up and made their way into her office. They took a seat, and Alec was gripping Magnus's hand tighter than Magnus would have liked, but he knew he was nervous. "I have some news."
"Oh I knew it. We aren't getting him." Alec said before Amanda could continue.
"Alexander, she didn't even tell us anything." Magnus said.
"I already know what's coming. Nobody wants two men raising a baby. People are so afraid that gayness rubs off on people. Well let me tell you, I was gay without anyone rubbing on me." Alec said and than realized how wrong that sounded. "I would like to take that sentence back." He said as Magnus and Amanda started to laugh.
"Why don't we just hear her out Alexander?" Magnus suggested.
"Why? I don't want to be crushed." Alec said and he looked at Amanda. "If it's because we aren't married, we can get married. That's not a problem."
"Whoa." Magnus cut him off. "Why don't you just calm down Alexander. She hasn't told us anything, and you're jumping to every possible conclusion." Magnus said and Alec looked at him.
"You don't want to marry me?" Alec asked and Magnus laughed.
"I would love to marry you darling, but I would prefer the proposal be a little more romantic, perhaps with some glitter." Magnus said and Alec glared at him.
"You know I don't use glitter Magnus." Alec said and Magnus waved him off and looked back at Amanda.
"What is the news you have for us Amanda?" Magnus asked and Amanda laughed.
"I was actually going to say that the last step is giving the little boy a name, and he's all yours." Amanda said and Alec sucked in a breath.
"He's ours?" Alec said and Amanda smiled and nodded.
"Just fill out this form, and I'll go get him." Amanda said as she handed a piece of paper to Alec and Magnus. She stood up and left the room. Alec looked at Magnus and couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.
"What are we going to name him?" Alec asked after a moment and Magnus smiled.
"Maxwell." Magnus said and Alec's eyes welled up with tears. "I think it's the perfect name for him."
"Maxwell, I like it." Alec said as he put that name down. "What about a middle name?" Alec asked.
"Well, is there anyone else important in your life that you'd like to name him after, because I have nobody, and after that they're just names." Magnus said and Alec thought about it for a minute.
"Jonathan." Alec said and Magnus looked at him. "That's Jace's real name. He's been my best friend and brother for as long as I can remember, and I don't know where I'd be without him." Alec said and Magnus smiled.
"Maxwell Jonathan Lightwood." Magnus said and Alec looked at him. "I like it."
"It's missing something." Alec said as he scribbled something down. Magnus looked over his shoulder.
"Lightwood-Bane." Magnus read and he looked up at Alec.
"You're as much his father as I am." Alec said and Magnus couldn't stop himself from pressing his lips to his. When the broke apart Amanda walked back into the room with a blue bundle. Alec and Magnus stood up and Amanda walked towards them. She smiled at them before handing the baby over to Alec.
"Did we come up with a name?" Amanda asked and Magnus smiled at her.
"We'd like to introduce you to Maxwell Jonathan Lightwood-Bane." Magnus said and Amanda smiled.
"Welcome home little guy." Alec said to the baby who giggled as he played with Alec's finger. Magnus looked down at their son and couldn't help but smile.
"His eyes looked like blueberries." Magnus said and Alec laughed. "He's our little blueberry."
"He's ours." Alec said and Magnus wrapped his arm around Alec.
"Yea he is." Magnus said.
"I wish you guys nothing but happiness." Amanda said and Alec and Magnus smiled at her.
"Thank you for everything you've done Amanda." Alec said and she smiled.
"Thank you for giving this precious little boy a home." Amanda said and they both looked at Max. He was nothing but smiles, and they couldn't be happier with the newest addition to their family.
Magnus and Alec left the office with Max and when they got him in the car they took a breath. Magnus looked at Alec, and Alec looked back. They smiled at each other, and leaned forwards and kissed.
"I can't believe he's ours." Magnus said when they broke apart.
"Me either." Alec said as Max giggled. They both looked back at smiled at their little boy.
"We should tell your family." Magnus said and Alec nodded. He pulled out his family and dialed his mothers number.
"Alexander, how are you?" She greeted and Alec smiled.
"I'm good mom. Listen, Magnus and I have to tell you something, is everyone home?" Alec asked.
"Yes, Jace and Clary got back from their trip and stopped by and Simon and Isabelle arrived last night." His mom said.
"Okay, Magnus and I will be over in 10 minutes." Alec said and hung up. "Ready?" Alec asked and Magnus smiled and nodded.
They made it to the Lightwood house in about 10 minutes and they had agreed that Alec would go in first and tell them the news and Magnus would wait until then to bring in Max. They didn't just want to show up with a baby, and surprise everyone. They wanted to tell them, and let it sink in before introducing Max. Alec walked in and followed the sound of the voices. When he got into the living room he saw his family smiled and talking away. He cleared his throat and everyone turned towards him.
"Alexander, I thought Magnus was coming with you?" His mom asked.
"He's outside. I wanted to come in and tell you first." Alec said.
"You're engaged!" Izzy shouted out and I laughed.
"No, we aren't." I said and she sunk down into the couch and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Than what could possibly be the news?" His father asked.
"Magnus and I have brought our relationship to the next level but not with marriage." Alec explained. "A couple weeks ago Magnus and I were out taking a walk when we found a baby abandoned in a box. We took him to the hospital so he would be safe, and left. The nurse asked Magnus for his contact information because CPS was going to have to ask us questions." Alec continued. "A couple days later a woman named Amanda called and asked to meet us. We went and answered her questions, and I asked what was going to happen to the little boy, and she said he would most likely be put in the system because he was born addicted to drugs, and no family wants to deal with those health issues." Alec said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Long story short, Magnus and I decided to adopt him." Simultaneously all of their jaws dropped. It was quiet for a moment before Alec texted Magnus. A second alter the front for opened and closed. Magnus was by his side with a joyful baby Max. The presence of the baby seemed to snap everyone out of their shocked state.
"You adopted him?" His mom finally asked and Alec nodded. She got up and walked over to them. Max giggled at her and hers eyes softened. "May I?" She asked and Magnus gave the baby over to her, and he instantly liked her. "What's his name?"
"Maxwell Jonathan Lightwood-Bane." Alec said and his mom's eyes watered. The baby giggled once again and Maryse smiled.
"He's precious." Maryse said as she cooed at the baby.
"Yea, we thought so too." Alec said as he grabbed his son's hand.
"You two are ready to be parents?" Maryse asked and Alec and Magnus smiled.
"It's all we ever wanted since we rescued this little guy." Alec said and Max giggled again. "Which brings me to another point, Izzy, Jace, how would you like to be his godparents?"
"You seriously want to trust your kids life with me if both of you die?" Jace said which caused Clary to elbow him in the ribs. "I mean, yea sounds fun."
"Don't worry, he's really thrilled on the inside." Clary said and everyone laughed.
"She's the reason we trust you with our son's life." Magnus said.
"That's going to have to get some getting used too." Robert said and Magnus and Alec laughed.
"Trust us, we're going to have to get used to saying it." Alec said.
Alec, Magnus and Max stayed at the Lightwoods until after dinner so everyone could have their chance to bond with Max. Alec was really happy with how well his family had accepted him and Magnus's decision to adopt him, and he was so happy that they all instantly loved him just like Magnus and Alec did. They both knew that it was going to be a hard road, but they couldn't wait to embark on it together as a family.